Women of Tomorrow’s 12th Annual Gala

Benefits Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program

Saturday, March 2, 2013, at 7 p.m.
Mandarin Oriental, Miami
500 Brickell Key Drive, Downtown Miami
305-371-3330

The Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program will host its 12th annual gala at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, with more than 500 of South Florida’s leading philanthropists, celebrities and politicians in attendance. Their 11th annual gala was a sold out affair, and Founders Jennifer Valoppi and Don Browne, along with Gala Chair Marisa Toccin and Co-Vice President, the Honorable Katherine Fernandez Rundle, are planning an equally successful 2013 gala to celebrate 16 successful years of mentoring at-risk young girls in the South Florida community.

The event’s cocktail reception will feature lavish hors d’oeuvre stations created by the Mandarin Oriental’s executive chef, complemented by the always popular silent auction which will include hundreds of items from top luxury retail, hospitality and restaurant brands.

Last year’s items included donations from, Saks Fifth Avenue Bal Harbour, Barry Gibb, Valentino, Bal Harbour, Perry Ellis, Oscar de la Renta, Romero Britto and Diane Von Furstenberg among many others. Last year’s big-ticket live auction items were a $5,000 shopping spree courtesy of Neiman Marcus Bal Harbour; a two-year lease on a 2012 Jaguar XJ, courtesy of The Collection; an NBC VIP Experience with tickets to the Saturday Night Live Dress Rehearsal and a behind-the-scenes tour of the Today Show with a stay at the Regency Hotel, courtesy of NBCUniversal and Loews Hotels; and a choice of an evening gown, valued up to $10,000, from the KaufmanFranco Spring 2012 collection, courtesy of KaufmanFranco, and a second $10,000 evening gown thrown in during the live auction by KaufmanFranco!

There’s always excitement at Women of Tomorrow’s gala! At last year’s soiree, there was an unforgettable performance by the Diva from the New Century Dance Company. Additionally, a heartwarming video was played, featuring some of Women of Tomorrow’s graduates explaining how the program changed their lives. At the conclusion of the video, guests were surprised by the appearance of nearly 100 Women of Tomorrow graduates as they filled the ballroom holding a candle-lighting, signifying the light that the program and donors bring to their young lives.

After the cocktail reception, guests will be escorted into the grand ballroom where they will be treated to a four-course dinner and the musical talents of South Florida’s, Soul Survivors. Tickets for the annual gala will be available in January 2013, when the theme and honorees for the event will be announced.

About Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program

Women of Tomorrow was conceived in 1997 by Television Journalist Jennifer Valoppi and co-founded with Don Browne, retired Telemundo Network President. The Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program is designed to inspire, motivate and empower at-risk young women to live up to their full potential through a unique mentoring program with highly accomplished professional women and scholarship opportunities. Women of Tomorrow currently mentors over 2200 at-risk girls in over 100 public high schools in approximately 50 cities in South Florida and Metropolitan Detroit with its network of 300 Mentors. Research shows that Women of Tomorrow Mentees have increased self-esteem, a 92% high school graduation rate, and increased academic performance each year they are in the program, to a statistically significant degree. Women of Tomorrow has awarded over $3 million in college scholarships to nearly 1,200 mentees. For more information, call 305-371-3330 or visit www.womenoftomorrow.org.