The Junior Orange Bowl wrapped up the season with its Pitman Photography Contest Awards Presentation on Friday, February 19, at the Coral Gables War memorial Youth Center. Dr. Randy Groh, whom many may know from his dental work on animals at the MetroZoo, chairs this event. Like his friend, MetroZoo’s Ron Magill, Groh’s passion for photography includes travels around the world and, thus, his interest in working with the Junior Orange Bowl to share and encourage this passion with young people.
Winners were Portfolio Review/Best in Show: Marcelo Norcini – Ransom Everglades and Jose Dominguez – Coral Reef High School; Character: Angie Mauriell Llanos – Coral Reef High School (1st), Kevin Groeninger – Ransom Everglades (2nd), Samantha Cohen – Miami Country Day School (3rd); Abstraction; Andrea Portillo – St. Brendan High School (1st), Matthew Susskind – Ransom Everglades (2nd), Schuyler Polk – Coral Reef High School (3rd); Documentary: Andrea Camaliche – Coral Reef High School (1st), Inasia Gilliard – Coral Reef High School (2nd), Andrea Portillo – St. Brendan High School (3rd); Reflection:
Alexandra Sanchez – Coral Reef High School (1st), Stephanie Socorro – La Salle High School (2nd), Diamone Scott – Coral Reef High School (3rd); Middle School Awards: Andrew Smith – Southwood Middle School (both Documentary & Character Categories Winner), Samuel Hurtado – Southwood Middle School (Abstraction Category Winner), and Maddie Bixby – South Miami Middle School (Reflection Category Winner).
A “Concert to End Polio” is being presented through the generosity of a local anonymous Charitable Foundation, whose mission it is to promote the arts. This Foundation’s wish is to not only support the arts but, at the same time, to focus the Concert on Rotary and its efforts to eradicate Polio, thus the name “A Concert to End Polio” in the name of the PolioPlus initiative to “End Polio Now.”
The concert, to be held March 25 at Maurice Gusman Hall, University of Miami, will feature a memorable evening of music with the gentle sax of Dave Koz and the piano stylings of Shelly Berg, backed by the amazing UM Concert Jazz Band. Best of all, 100 pecent of the ticket sales at $45 per person will go directly to the PolioPlus program of Rotary International.
Tickets may be purchased online at RotaryFoundationofCoralGables.org. Click PayPal button under the flyer to pay by credit card, or your PayPal account if you have one.
Congratulations to University of Miami Alumna Mercedes Araoz, who made history in Peru by being named the country’s first female minister of finance. Araoz was sworn into her new position in late December. She previously served as Peru’s minister of production as well as the minister of foreign trade and tourism. In fact, she oversaw the signing of several free-trade deals, including Peru’s high-profile pact with the United States, according to Reuters. Araoz was in Washington, D.C. this week to meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Until next week, keep making each day count.
Gloria Burns is Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Pinecrest, a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization, as well as a columnist for Community Newspapers. Keeping abreast of community activities is a challenge. If you would like to submit information for this column, please send your news via e-mail to
