Women of Tomorrow’s 15th Annual Gala

The Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program honored national community leaders at its 15th Annual Black Tie Gala at the beautiful Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Saturday, with over 400 guests in attendance. The gala hosted a crowd of leading philanthropists, celebrities and politicians.

Founders Jennifer Valoppi and Don Browne, along with Gala & Philanthropic Chair Marisa Toccin Lucas celebrated the organization’s 19th year of mentoring at-risk high school girls, raising over $800,000 for the program.

Honorees at the annual event included Humanitarian Honorees Trish & Dan Bell; Legacy Builder Honorees Laurie & Tom Cunnington; Excellence Honoree Baptist Health South Florida; and Mentor of the Year Nancy Frehling.

The evening began with a lavish cocktail reception featuring hors d’oeuvre, as well as the anticipated silent auction of more than 100 items from top entertainment, fashion, hospitality and luxury brands such as Roger Vivier, Vhernier, Prada, Loews Miami Beach, Prime 112 and Mandarin Oriental Hotel among many others. This year’s live auction was one of a kind, with a Neiman

Marcus, Bal Harbour $5,000 Shopping Spree, a 3 Year Lease on a 2016 Porsche Macan S. courtesy of THE COLLECTION, 2 tickets for the 2016 American Music Awards, a KAUFMANFRANCO gown from their Fall/Winter 2016 Collection courtesy of KAUFMANFRANCO, an Interactive Dinner Party for 8 with celebrity Chef Ingrid Hoffman, and seven days in “Casa LaMoye” in Mollorca, Spain courtesy of Denise & Joe Moore.

Following the cocktail reception, guests took their seats in the ballroom and were treated to a performance by South Florida’s own Soul Survivors.

Notable guests in attendance included NBC News & Telemundo anchor Jose Diaz-Balart, NBC6 anchor & reporters Trina Robinson, Willard Shepard, Ari Odzer, and Erika Glover, WPLG anchor Neki Mohan, Founder & CEO of Poe Boy Records Elric “E Class” Prince, Mexican actor Khotan Fernandez, Telemundo host Candela Ferro, Ryan Burke CEO of VEW Live, and Real Housewives of Miami’s Adriana de Moura.

Through the generosity of its Supporters and Partners, the program has awarded over $4.8 million in scholarships to more than 1,700 Mentees.

Founder & President, Jennifer Valoppi says: “I believe one of the most effective ways to break the cycles of violence, poverty and abuse, is to uplift the young women who will raise the next generation. ?It all stops here. Women of Tomorrow is one of the most unique and powerful organizations of its kind anywhere. Our amazing mentors are the reason for our tremendous success in getting at-risk young girls to overcome their obstacles and live up to their full potential.”