The Junior Orange Bowl recently announced the venue and theme for its 2017 gala. The cocktail chic event will take place at Brickell City Centre’s EAST Miami Hotel.
The 2017 affair brings an elegant vision all while tying in a bit of fantasy. This year’s gala chair Ana Rivera, the board of directors, and executive director Jessica Cerda-Antomarchi aim to create, a magical evening. The spectacular ballroom overlooking Brickell will transform and guests will feel as if they were transported to Wonderland.
The Mad Hatter in Wonderland Gala benefiting the Junior Orange, a Florida 501(c)3, will take place on Mar. 18, 2017 and will honor the Orange Bowl, Bacardi, as well as Barbara and Don Waters. There will be more than 200 business and community leaders in attendance all with a joint purpose of raising funds for the15-plus Junior Orange Bowl events, which attract 7,500 youth participants annually.
“This year we wanted to entice our community with an entertaining theme at one of Miami’s most exclusive venues” Rivera said. “Our main goal is to bring together people with one common denominator to raise funds for our youth.
“Nowadays children have less resources to be creative, active, and enticed mentally and that’s what the Junior Orange Bowl provides, and why we are working very hard as a board to create such a special night,” she added.
The Junior Orange Bowl was founded in 1948 and carries a strong 68-year-old tradition. The Junior Orange Bowl hosts competitive athletic, academic, and cultural arts events in a diverse and safe environment. Since its inception, the Junior Orange Bowl has been serving the South Florida community and the youth of the world by hosting an international youth festival, which includes basketball, golf, tennis, cross country, creative writing, and events specifically designed for physically challenged boys and girls.
Several of today’s top athletes and Olympians started their journeys to stardom by participating in Junior Orange Bowl events. Some notable alumni are: Andre Agassi, Chris Evert and Anna Kournikova (tennis), Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam (golf), as well as Dominique Dawes and Dominique Moceanu (Olympic gymnasts).
“The organization continues to evolve and reach new milestones to en-hance our community through academic and athletic outlets,” Cerda-Antomarchi said. “The gala is our forum to raise funds to provide opportunities to empower our future community leaders, our youth.“
The gala committee has set a bigger goal this year and is eager to attract sponsors and supporters that align to its mission. There are several sponsorship opportunities varying in tiers from $25,000 to $500. If you would like to sponsor, place an advertisement or attend the event, visit www.jrorangebowl.org/gala. To learn more about the Junior Orange Bowl or to get involved, contact executive director, Jessica Cerda at jcerda@jrorangebowl.org.
