The Edit by Brett Graff
Our editor reports on the charity scene in Miami this week.
Make-A-Wish Kickoff Party
The 28th Annual InterContenental Miami Make-a-Wish Ball held a kickoff celebration and announced global superstar Sting would be this year’s headliner at the event on November 4. The foundation also revealed the ball’s captivating theme: “OCULUS – Le Sceptre Rose,” which will transform InterContinental® Miami into the “World Museum of Art | Musée Mondial D’art” The kickoff party, held at the InterContinental Miami – the same location of the coveted event – was attended by Glenn Sampert, gala chair Shareef M. Malnik, celebrity emcee Gabrielle Anwar, Norman Wedderburn, Robert Elias, DJ Irie, Adriana de Moura, Liz Elias, Amy Federman, Stu Opperman, Bryan and Katie Maloney, Chef Jhonnatan Pinilla Contreras, David Strom, Judge Melisa Tinkler Mendez, Judge Bronwyn Miller, Maury Udell, Kate Morales, Maxwell Blanford, Laura and Judd Zebersky and Vanessa Ariel Torres.
Kickoff for the Coral Gables Community Foundation
Neiman Marcus Coral Gables hosted a luncheon to kickoff the Coral Gables Community Foundation’s gala, Under the Cherry Blossom Sky – which has the city’s most stylish set shopping for the event on Friday, October 13th. In attendance to celebrate the upcoming occasion were Sissy DeMaria-Koehne, Tracy Wilson Mourning, Lisa Mendelson, Mary Snow, Ana VeigaMilton, Sarah Christensen, Dr. Sadia Raja Alfonso, Jill Deupi, Dana Shear, Kimberly Mendelson. The Foundation uses philanthropy to connect individuals and corporations and works to positively impact the success of the community.
The Lucy Project Literacy Luncheon
At Fleming’s Steakhouse in Coral Gables, Patricia Fuller and Sandra Bermudez co-hosted a luncheon for The Lucy Project, an organization advocating for children who struggle to read. To commemorate International Literacy Day, over a hundred local leaders, including philanthropists and elected officials came to pledge their unwavering support for literacy. “As a community, we’re only going to progress is if we have the same opportunities,” says Fuller. “Literacy is fundamental, it empowers people. And it is a priority.” At the luncheon parents told attendees who their own children benefitted from The Lucy Project’s literacy initiatives, their stories showcasing the impact of the organization’s work in transforming young lives through literacy.
Brett Graff is SocialMiami.com’s managing editor and has been a journalist covering money, people and power for over 20 years. Graff contributes to national media outlets including Reuters, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, Maxim, and the PBS show, Nightly Business Report. A former U.S. government economist, her nationally syndicated column The Home Economist is first published in The Miami Herald and then on the Tribune Content Agency, where it’s available to over 400 publications nationwide. She is broadcast weekly on two iHeartRadio news shows and is the author of “Not Buying It: Stop Overspending & Start Raising Happier, Healthier, More Successful Kids,” a parenting guide for people who might be tempted to buy their children the very obstacles they’re trying to avoid.
