Annual Gala

“Club Monaco” Gala was held on Saturday, October 13th, 2012.

Our 21st annual Gala featured an elegant evening of Bacardi cocktail hour with live music by Tony Fernandez and hors d’oeuvre, followed by dinner, dancing to a DJ, and gambling featuring casino-style gaming tables*. The evening also included our annual awards, and a silent auction.

The Gala was held in the elegant and stately Coral Grand Ballroom of the Coral Gables Country Club.  Tickets were $500 per person, or a Table of 10 for $5,000.  Gala Program Ads were sold for $250.  (Ad Specs.)

*The gaming equipment was provided for entertainment purposes only by CASINO PARTY NIGHTS FLORIDA, Inc.

Announcing our 2012 HONOREES

The Foundation is pleased to announce this year’s Gala Honorees in five categories:  Legacy, Community, Culture, Education, and new this year: Sports/Entertainment.

The LEGACY AWARD will honor respected Coral Gables Philanthropist Robert J. Fewell.

The COMMUNITY AWARD recognizes former City Commissioner Wayne E. “Chip” Withers.

The CULTURE AWARD recognizes Coral Gables Art Cinema creator Steven H. Krams.

The EDUCATION AWARD recognizes Florida International University information technology leader Dr. Joyce Elam.

The SPORTS/ENTERTAINMENT AWARD posthumously honors former University of Miami General Counsel, Athletic Director, and Sports Hall of Famer Paul T. Dee, J.D. (the award will be accepted by Cathy Zuckerman Dee).

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We seem to be best remembered for our “Greening of the Gables” Galas and initiative (which was established to raise funds to help the City replace the devastated tree canopy caused by the back-to-back Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma). With the exception of that difficult year (2005), every year since our inception the Foundation has held an annual fund raiser—maybe you have volunteered for, or attended one, or more. At our most recent 20th Anniversary (1991-2011) “Homecoming” Gala, we were grateful to have so many of our friends, former board members, and past chairs attend as we recognized and celebrated their generous contributions and enthusiastic participation in giving back to our community. Those 20 years have included lending a helping hand to establish major initiatives such as GranTran, PARKnership, the Coral Gables Museum, Cinemateque’s Coral Gables Art Cinema, gableshomepage.com, the Save The Alhambra Water Tower Campaign, and the Waterway Renaissance Project.

photos from past events (L-R, top to bottom)

Greening of the Gables Galas: 2007 EWM Table | 2008 both at Biltmore Hotel
2009 Masquerade Ball | 2010 J’adore Paris Gala both at Comber Hall
Don and Ceci Slesnick at J’adore Paris Gala After Party
and Senior Superlative winners Board Member Commissioner Frank Quesada as “Best Dressed”
and Board Member Matthew Meehan as “Class Clown” at our 20th Anniversary “Homecoming” Gala
at the Coral Gables Country Club