GFWC Clubs and Gables Rotarians celebrate and serve

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Gloria Burns

It has been a busy year for are GFWC District 11 clubs. The GFWC Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove will once again host the Young Artists’ Gallery (YAG) with the  annual juried art  exhibition showcasing the talent of Miami-Dade County public high school students whose art  will be on view and open to the public on Saturday, March 13, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at their clubhouse located at 2985 South Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove. An award ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday and the exhibition will continue Sunday, March 14, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.  Since the 2020 exhibition was canceled due to the pandemic, the exhibition will include both the 2020 and 2021 winners; so, it should be better than ever. This YAG student exhibit will follow all protocols to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Guests will be invited a few at a time to view the exhibit indoors at the clubhouse throughout the weekend. The awards ceremony and recipient distribution will take place on the front lawn maintaining a safe physical distance. This year’s awarded prizes include 6 scholarships totaling $20,000. Mask wearing will be enforced indoors and outdoors.

The GFWC Coral Gables Woman’s Club continue holding their monthly Gringo Bingo games at Clutch Burger (146 Giralda)  to benefit the club’s free children’s dental clinic. Bringing on sponsors like 1st Elite Premier Financial & EZ Title Services and Center State Bank have helped raise thousands over the last few months with the latest Gringo Bingo attracting a great crowd on the plaza with ample room to space the tables in front of Clutch on February 9th. DJ Germain once again provided the music to make the event a party and that event alone raised more than $1,600.  Look for the next Gringo Bingo on Giralda Plaza on March 2, 7 p.m. This will be special as guests for the games will also be able to enjoy the finals days of Illuminate Coral Gables Art with its lighted installation over the plaza and throughout Coral Gables. Tickets for the night include 12 games with great prizes for only $20.  To RSVP, email gloria@cnews.net.

The Rotary Club of Coral Gables is celebrating its Diamond Jubilee 75th Anniversary with an online diamond jewelry auction running through March 4.   The event, chaired by RCCG’s President Elect Nicolas Eterovich with lots of help from President Kelly Garces, Past President Sally Baumgartner, Secretary Rudford Hamon and our own Community Newspapers, kicked off their Diamond Jubilee Auction fundraiser on Valentine’s Day. If you love diamonds (and who doesn’t), the RCCG Auction is all diamond jewelry hosted by Carroll’s with diamond jewelry from Carroll’s, Snows, Jays, and even some $10,000 worth of diamond jewelry donated by Sally Baumgartner. Proceeds from the auction will be directed to the club’s RCCG Foundation that makes grants to numerous charitable organizations such as Chapman Partnership, Coral Gables Children’s Dental Clinic, Shake-A-Leg, Shelter Box, and more.  To participate and join the bidding fun, visit  http://one.bidpal.net/coralgablesrotarydiamondjubilee.

By the way, the  City of Coral Gables and the Rotary Club of Coral Gables board of directors have decided to again postpone the Chili Cook Off scheduled for March to Sunday, October 31, 2021 for a Halloween Spooky Chili Cook-off.  Save the date, start thinking about your costumes and  and pray things are back to normal by that time.

In other news, March 8th, is International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievement of women. ShelterBox is hosting its first ever virtual International Women’s Day panel with an inspiring and diverse panel of female leaders as they share experiences,  daily disparities and challenges women face and  ways to collectively make a positive change.  Hosted by  ShelterBox USA  whose President Kerri Murray will moderate, the panelists include  Marie Kagaju Laugharn – International Development and Corporate Social Responsibility; Elizabeth Silva – Assistant Director, Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality at The Asia Foundation; Andrea Sreshta – LuminAID Co-Founder ; Valarie Wafer – Rotary International Director, 2020-2022;  Leslie Zemeckis – Author, Actress, Writer and Documentarian; Jennifer Lynch – Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Paramount Studios; and  Kate Bollinger – Gender Advisor, USAID.  To register for the online event on March 8, 3 – 4 p.m., visit  https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2125502624441022475?bblinkid=248594170&bbemailid=26951312&bbejrid=1871944430

Finally, please tune in to our Community Newspaper Facebook Live shows.  My show airs every Monday, 10 a.m., and can be seen later on our www.communitynewspapers web Facebook pages or Utube. Many thanks to my recent guests including Steven Bradley, owner of Clutch Burger, who is my current show sponsor and host of our monthly CGWC Gringo Bingo fundraisers. Other guests have included Ana Veiga Milton, Chef  Chris Valdes, Patrick Morris, Susan Danis, Greg Martini, Kelly Garces, Arely Ruiz, Carol Caridad, Kirk Whipple and Marilyn Morales, all of whom serve our community so well.

Until next time, keep making each day count, be kind and stay safe.


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A graduate of the University of Florida with a major in Spanish, Burns has an extensive background in advertising, marketing and reciprocal trade, travel , non profit consulting and management. Before joining Miami's Community Newspapers as a columnist and marketing specialist, Gloria was the Executive Director of the Jr. Orange Bowl Committee (6 yrs.) and first Executive Director of the Coral Gables Community Foundation (14 yrs.) and the Pinecrest Community Foundation (1 ½ yrs) . Burns' volunteer activities led her to become a columnist for Community Newspapers writing Gloria’s Gab, that focuses on the non-profit activity, and a host of an online show, Gloria's Gab LIVE. Gloria serves the board of the Rotary Club of Coral Gables as Civic and Charity Chair, and is involved in the club's International Committee. She is an active Life Member of the Jr. Orange Bowl Committee and is Secretary of the Merrick Festival. She serves on the board of directors of the Coral Gables Woman' Club as Publicity Chair and also coordinates the club's monthly fundraiser for various charities with Gringo Bingo at Clutch Burger. In addition, Gloria participates in numerous other charitable events and is a member of the Business Forum Group, Profit Inc., the Greater Miami Festival & Events Association and the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce. In other volunteer activity, Gloria helps Miami Christian School with fund-raising and PR; is an Ambassador and volunteers for events for A Safe Haven for Newborns. She is an active member of the Music Ministry at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church where she enjoys singing in the choir every weekend.