“Make Magic” 2019 Be A Voice Gala at the Mandarin Oriental
Benefiting Voices For Children Foundation
Suzanne and Brad Meltzer, Susan Samas, Nelson and Carolina Hincapie,
Jay and Susan Shapiro
Voices For Children kicked of their Winter Gala Season with the 23rd edition of their “Make Magic” 2019 Be A Voice Gala at the Mandarin Oriental, Miami on Brickell Key. 500 of Miami’s most philanthropic and influential community leaders and business professionals such as City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, Anai Urquidi Ceredia news presenter from Univision and Elize Held, joined chairs Brad and Suzanne Meltzer to support the foster care youth of Miami-Dade County. The black-tie affair raised over $630,000 to benefit Miami-Dade’s abused, abandoned and neglected children to help ensure they have a court-appointed Guardian ad Litem and that financial assistance and other resources are available for their health, educational, and social needs.
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Susan Samas and Bea Witus
Brad and Suzanne Meltzer
Sheila Reinken and John Scheffield
Brad Meltzer, Susan Samas, Nelson Hincapie and Jay Shapiro
Jolie Berkowitz and Cayla Rutchik
Johana Cervone and Rusell Benford
Suzanne Meltzer and Jenny Kennedy
Nelson Hincapie, Christopher Brice, Carolina Hincapie and Khalid Allahar
Emmanuel Cabrera Muñoz and Xiomara Gonzalez
Sandra Santiago and Alex Fernandez
Inti Munay and Vanessa Hauc
Natalie Carlos and Alan Rosenthal
Robert Lowe, Suzanne Legon, Carolina and Nelson Hincapie
Andrew and Felicia Berkowitz, Liz and Joe Jackson
Loryn And Nader Panahpour
Christopher Brice and Khalid Allahar
Veronica and Hector Vargas
Lourdes and Javier Aviño
Sandra Santiago, Elysze Held, Alex Fernandez and Claudia Potamkin
Anai Urquidi, Andy Valiente and Laura Fandino
Blain and Jill Heckaman, Sofia Rodriguez and Tyler Heckaman
Stuart Fort, Laura Thornton, Carolina and Nelson Hincapie
Barry Jay Minoff and Marcia Do Vales
Bertha Pino and Suzanne Legon
Lynette and Angel Ferrer
Susan and Jay Shapiro
Ana Maria and Pedro Capo
Justin and Jenny Kennedy
Carolina Hincapie, Juan Arcila and Marcela Orrego
Mayor Francis Suarez and Gloria Fonts Suarez
Carolina Sarassa and Andres Chacon
Barry Jay Minoff, Christopher Brice and Jay Shapiro
Robert Lowe and Miguel de Arregui
John and Suzel Broe
Jay Shapiro, Elizabeth Miller, Christopher Brice and Steve Miller
Voices For Children’s Board of Directors and Nelson Hincapie President and CEO of the organization
Kristin Royal, Veronica Vargas and Ivonne Herrera
Laurence and Malcolm Stott
Paul and Bertha Pino
Ana Paula Watson, Laurence Stott, Jenny Kennedy and Hello Campo
Dr Frank and Mirta Fuentes
Beatriz and Nelson Bustamante, and Alessandra Correa
Robin Rosenberg, Michael McAuliffe, Beth Bloom and Lyle Stern
Bea Witus, Nelson Hincapie, Susan Samas
Carolina and Nelson Hincapie
Nelson Hincapie, Juan Arcila, Amber Kornreich and Victor Pulido
Alberto Jaen, Nadja Sherrer, Marcia Do Vales and Barry Jay Minoff
Todd and Suzanne Legon
Nelson Hincapie, Gloria Suarez and Mayor Francis Suarez
German and Yolanda Valencia, Erin and Gail Newberg
Amy and Payton Poliakoff
Craig and Spurdle Mijanou
Linette Cairo and Juan Cordoba
Elise Betancourt, Carmen Pérez, Bertha Pino
Alan Rosenthal, Gail Appelrouth, Don Rosenthal
Guests enjoyed an elegant cocktail reception featuring strolling magicians and entertainers before entering the ballroom for a seated 3-course dinner. During the program, Voices Chairman of the Board of Directors, Jay Shapiro, welcomed the guests and VIP’s before speaking about Voices accomplishments during the past year. Event chairs recognized Guardians ad Litem present in the audience including Mirta Fuentes who has been a devoted volunteer Guardian forover 25 years.
Guests then bid on exciting travel packages during the live auction and afterward listened to the courageous testimonial of a 15-year-old youth who endured tumultuous and challenging family hardships that thrust him into the foster care system when he was only two years old. Accompanied by his Guardian ad Litem, Khalid Allahar, the young man’s testimonial proved by how by earning our youths’ trust, the healing process can start, and lives can be transformed.
An emotional moment occurred during a moving tribute to Jeffrey C. Samas, Voices For Children board member who passed away in 2018 and to whom the evening was dedicated. “Jeff believed that Voices gave a fighting chance to vulnerable children who found themselves in aworld they never asked to be a part of” said Susan Samas, widow of Jeffrey C. Samas. Nelson Hincapie, Voices President and CEO of the organization described the support that Voices provides as “a magic that brings healing, magic that creates a future, magic that inspires love”. Following the evening’s program, dinner was served, and guests then danced the night away to DJ Kucha’s high-energy beats.
The gala is made possible by Presenting Sponsor Susan and Alex Samas in loving memory of Jeffrey C. Samas; Golden Fan Guardian Sponsors Jeff and Yolanda Berkowitz; Jay and Susan Shapiro, Stearns Weaver Miller and Dynasty Guardian Sponsors John Moriarty & Associates of Florida, Kaufman Rossin, P.A., Pricewaterhouse Cooper, LLP and Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. The media sponsors are Brickell Magazine, Key Biscayne and Selecta Magazine. The PR sponsor is Tara, Ink., the design Sponsor Jacober Creative and host sponsor is Mandarin Oriental, Miami.
Photos by WorldRedEye, Yamila Lomba & Jonathan Estevez