A record crowd of more than 200 women and a few men gathered on Aug. 15 for a High Heels and Handshakes event at Crave in the Village of Merrick Park. Christina Ward, group sales and marketing manager for Crave, is co-founder of High Heels and Handshakes, a community resource organization that brings together philanthropic business citizens through events benefiting local and global non-profit organizations.
Pink was the color of the day for attire and prizes were awarded for best heels while the crowd enjoyed several networking games, cocktails and food. Ward also invited the participation of several vendors who set up tables and gave a percentage of their sales that evening back to participating charities.
As with all High Heels and Handshakes events, admission was a donation of $10 and/or high heels, with proceeds benefiting different local charities each time and the heels going to Dress for Success Miami. Beneficiaries of this most recent affair were Macarena Zilveti’s Badges of Courage Foundation and the GFWC Coral Gables Woman’s Club May Van Sickle Children’s Dental Clinic. While Badges of Courage supports low-income women with breast cancer and those who are in treatment, the CGWC’s Children’s Dental Clinic provides more than $230,000 in free dental care annually to disadvantaged children in Miami Dade County. Both great charities are run by women.
Crave continues to host other charitable events and, in fact, hosted the Rotary Club of Coral Gables membership social that same week on Friday night.
Speaking of Rotary, the club will be unfolding an exciting new fundraiser for the coming fall and winter. Those of you who love good food and wine will want to stay tuned for information on a series of wine dinners the club will organize under the direction of Rotarian Rodney Langer this year that will afford sponsors a chance to get exposure over a five- to six-month period and invite clients to some terrific dinners.
Finally, you still have time to register for the Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes. This promises to be a wonderful family event that will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22, at Marlins Park (West Plaza). Join CBS4 meteorologist Craig Setzer who will lead the walk at 9 a.m. For details, visit www.diabetes.org/stepoutmiam
Until next time, keep making each day count.
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