2017 Power of the Purse Luncheon and Auction
Benefiting The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade


The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade’s signature 2017 Power of the Purse Luncheon and Auction held at the Watsco Center at the University of Miami on Thursday, March 16th raised $300,000 for women and girls served in Miami-Dade County. Over 700 of South Florida’s leaders, philanthropists, celebrities and government officials were in attendance to celebrate the POWER of women and girls to create change in our community.
Luncheon Co-Chairs Mary Young and Sissy DeMaria, Silent Auction Co-Chairs Kim Sarkisian and Dr. Michelle Segal, and a spectacular luncheon committee celebrated the power of women and girls in our community. Award-winning Miami Herald business journalist Cindy Krischer Goodman served as the Honorary Event Chair and multimedia journalist Erika Glover from NBC6 Miami was the Master of Ceremonies.
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Deborah Korge (Executive Director), Marilyn March (Former Executive Director), Marilynn Gladstone (Founder), Claudia Kitchens (Former Executive Director)
Mary Young and Sissy DeMaria (Sponsor), Event Co-Chairs
Joy McKenna (Board Member, Sponsor), Mary Young (Event Co-Chair), Brigette Lumpkins (Board Member), Cyndi Hibnick (Board Member), April Boyer Duff (Board Member), Deborah Korge (Executive Director), Janet Kyle Altman (Board Chair, Sponsor), Grace C. Lopez (Board Member, Event Committee), Sissy DeMaria (Event Co-Chair, Sponsor), Marlise Radix (Board Member)
Evelyn Cohan (Marilynn Gladstone Lifetime Achievement Award, Past Board Member), Deborah Korge (Executive Director), Janet Kyle Altman (Board Chair, Sponsor)
Lauren Franquiz, Kalema Meggs (Event Committee), Tania Abouzeide
Brigette Lumpkins (Board Member), Cyndi Hibnick (Board Member), April Boyer Duff (Board Member), Deborah Korge (Executive Director), Janet Kyle Altman (Board Chair, Sponsor), Evelyn Cohan (Marilynn Gladstone Lifetime Achievement Award, Past Board Member), Johnette Hardiman (Board Member) all displaying donated Laundry by Shelli Segal Tote Bags
Christie (Guest Speaker, LEAP Graduate), Janet Kyle Altman (Board Chair, Sponsor), Deborah Korge (Executive Director)
Tracy Wilson Mourning and Hannah Jean Wilson, 2017 Honor Roll Awardees
Mia Villasante, Alina Villasante (2017 Honor Roll), Deborah Korge (Executive Director), Gloria Zaldivar (Event Committee, Sponsor)
Shelly Jacoby (Board Member), Evelyn Cobos (Board Member, Event Committee, Sponsor), Lacey Hofmeyer
Cristina Medina, Ameli Padron, Dr. Michelle Segal (Auction Co-Chair, Event Committee), Zoraida Diaz, Cristina Mendez-Perez
Betsy Kosick, Kim Sarkisian (Auction Co-Chair, Event Committee), Helen Picard, Yaury Jattin
Kaufman Rossin (Sponsor table) - from left to right: Meredith Vey, Joy Batteen, Tanya Ferreiro, Michele Stone, Angela M. Carrillo, Yaury Jattin, Rosemary Hartigan, Kara Sharp, Janet Kyle Altman (Board Chair, Sponsor)
Lalita Airan (Past Board Member), Rashmi Airan-Pace
Joe Coconate (Sponsor), Mary Young (Event Co-Chair)
Empower IT (Sponsor table) – from left to right: Patricia Hoffman, Lisa Young, Kenny Young, Joe Steen (Sponsor), Lorraine Steen, Eva Roditi, Betsy Mateu, Peggy Classe, Maura Mitchell
United HomeCare (Sponsor table) – from left to right: Jacqueline Torre (Event Committee, Sponsor), Lynne Giannini, Blanca Ceballos, Gemma Garcia (Grantee), Tarshea Sanderson (Grantee), Christie (Guest Speaker, LEAP Graduate), Mahlia Lindquist (Grantee), Carlos Martinez (Sponsor), Gretta Martinez, Tatiana Pita
Gita Patel, Anita Uppaluri (Board Member), Nimi Motwani, Kalpna Patel, Uzma Shah, Anita Dhairyawan , Manisha Patel
From left to right: Jennifer Robertson Ahrens, Joan Robertson, Beverly Greenberg (Board Member), Madeleine Goldman, Leslie Sternlieb, Kathy Weiss, Nancy Pastroff (Past Board Member), Bernice Roth, Nancy Green
Tracy Wilson Mourning (2017 Honor Roll), Sandi Lobue, Norma Jean Abraham, Nadine Valme, Manisha Patel
Top row: Jasmine Wollach Getz, Lynn Martenstein, Claudia Potamkin, Jayne Abess, Victoria Cummock (2017 Honor Roll, Event Committee, Sponsor); Bottom row: Pam Garrison, Diane Sepler, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Ann Henderson
BNY Mellon Wealth Management (Sponsor table) - Top row: Ana Rojas, Mia Villasante, Gloria Zaldivar (Event Committee, Sponsor), Marilyn March (Former Executive Director), Mayra Lindsay, Heidy Frank; Bottom row: Alina Villasante (2017 Honor Roll), Yvette Castellon, Nicole Izquierdo, Virginia Alvarez, Cristina Conte
Irina Alvarez, Rozanne Cifaldi, Elizabeth Perez, Lynette Janac (Sponsor), Sharon Silver, Caren Corso
Nadine Folders (Board Member), Jennifer Resnick, Sydney Schaecter
The Miami Herald/El Nuevo Herald (Sponsor table) - Top row: Maribel Rivera, Claudia Killoran; Bottom row: Lourdes Alvarez (Sponsor), Lesley DeCanio
Mercedes Benz of Coral Gables, Mercedes Benz of Cutler Bay (Sponsor table) - Top row: Amy Nunez, Marta Neira, Lisette Garcia; Bottom row: Maryam Miranda, Ramona Messore , Deborah Overholt, Barbara Norland, Nicole Waters (Sponsor), Katie Coffey (Sponsor)
TotalBank (Sponsor table) - Top row: Daniela Betancourt, Ileana Hernandez, Maritza Jaime, Teresa Rojas; Bottom row: Cristina Blanco, Ana Olarte, Toni Sanchez, Jacqueline Cruz-Bustillo, Marti Mang (Sponsor), Lourdes Rey-Wilson
Anne Freedman, Lynne Seidner
Pam Garrison, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, Victoria Cummock (2017 Honor Roll, Event Committee, Sponsor), Alina Villasante (2017 Honor Roll)
The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade awarded the third annual Marilynn Gladstone Lifetime Achievement Award to Evelyn Cohan in recognition of her instrumental role in the founding and funding of The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade 24 years ago. The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade also inducted four dynamic women into its Honor Roll: Victoria Cummock, a leading activist for air disaster and terror victims; Tracy Wilson Mourning, philanthropist, community leader and founder of the nonprofit Honey Shine Girls Mentoring Program; Hannah Jean ‘Nana’ Wilson, Tracy’s mother and inspiration; and Alina Villasante, designer, creator and visionary of Peace Love World Clothing.
2017 Power of the Purse sponsors included Akerman LLP, American Airlines, Bank Leumi, BNY Mellon Wealth Management, Cao Chocolates, Comcast, Empower IT, Greenberg Traurig, I’m Not Your Boring Newspaper, Kaufman Rossin, Kreps DeMaria, Llorente & Heckler, P.A., LSN Partners, LLC, Macy’s, Mercedes Benz of Coral Gables, Mercedes Benz of Cutler Bay, Miami Herald/El Nuevo Herald, Research Management Corporation, South Florida Luxury Guide, Stonegate Bank, Timoney Impact Solutions, TotalBank, United HomeCare and Wells Fargo, and a special thanks to Victoria Cummock.
For more information about The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade, please call 305.441.0506 or visit www.womensfundmiami.org.