Miami Bridge’s Van Gogh-Themed Gala Helps Local Homeless and Abused Youth
The “stars” of South Florida were shining in support of abused, neglected and abandoned youth. Miami Bridge Youth & Family Services, Inc., Miami-Dade County’s only 24-hour emergency shelter for children and teenagers in crisis ages 10 to 17, recently unveiled its signature fundraiser, Bridge to the Stars, “A Starry Night”, presented by City National Bank, with special program emcee Shannon Horri of CBS Miami, WFOR.
Taking place at the JW Marriott Marquis Miami hotel in downtown Miami, hundreds attended the special fundraiser, including prominent community activists, political and civic leaders. With its whimsical theme inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night” masterpiece, the fundraiser, hailed as one of the most unique of the season, helped bolster the outreach of Miami Bridge, which provides critical services to youth in great need (many of whom are homeless or runaways and living on the streets).
The gala was chaired by Marlene Quintana, Miami Bridge board member and Labor and Employment Shareholder at GrayRobinson. Special guests included: Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle and David Efron; U.S. Congressman Patrick Murphy; Mike Murphy, VP of Coastal Construction; Steven Bateman, Mayor of Homestead; State Representative Erik Fresen and his wife, Ethel Fresen; Commissioner Juan Zapata; Russell Benford, Deputy Mayor, Miami-Dade County; State Representative David Richardson; Honorable Judge Victoria del Pino; Honorable Judge Betty Capote; Honorable Judge Miguel de la O; Kim Stone, Executive Vice President of the Miami Heat & General Manager of American Airlines Arena; and Eddie Dominguez, Senior VP, City National Bank, among others.
“This is a time-honored tradition for Miami Bridge and, through its establishment, we have been fortunate to help so many youth, year after year,” said Mary Andrews, Executive Director, Miami Bridge Youth & Family Services, Inc. “There is no act too small to make a difference. These are difficult and desperate times for many people in our area and we welcome any opportunity to unite the community, put a spotlight on those in need and give back.”
Major event sponsors also included BenTrust Financial, the Bond Family and Coastal Construction Group. In addition to dancing, live entertainment and cuisine, guests enjoyed a silent auction filled with big-ticket items including a cruise vacation, American Airlines tickets, a jersey signed by LeBron James and a basketball signed by every current player of the Miami HEAT.
For more information on how to support the Miami Bridge organization — contact Monique Bain, 305-636-3520, mbain@miamibridge.org, 2810 NW South River Drive, Miami, FL, 33125, and visit www.miamibridge.org.
