UM/Sylvester announces the 2008 In The Garden gala, IL GIARDINO DI VENEZIA

Description

The kick-off event of South Florida?s fall social season ? In The Garden Gala that benefits the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center ? is set for Saturday, November 1 at the Fontainebleau Resort on Miami Beach. Held every other year, the gala is the signature fundraising event for UM/Sylvester, South Florida?s only university-based cancer center. The 2008 In The Garden Gala, themed IL GIARDINO DI VENEZIA, will be the first social charity event held at the venerable Fontainebleau Resort since its $1 billion renovation and expansion. The elegant evening attracts nearly 1,000 philanthropic, community, and business leaders from Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties and raises more than $1 million for cancer research. A highlight of the gala is the presentation of the Caroline W. Halpern Award. This award is given to an individual or family with a proven record of exceptional generosity through volunteerism in support of UM/Sylvester. The award is named in memory of Caroline W. Halpern, a dedicated supporter of UM/Sylvester, long before her battle with lung cancer. The 2008 Caroline Halpern W. Award will be presented to community leaders Joan and J. David Scheiner. David is President and Chief Operating Officer of Macy?s Florida and has served on the boards of a wide range of community organizations. Joan, a cancer survivor, chairs UM/Sylvester?s Board of Governors. They have worked tirelessly on behalf of UM/Sylvester. Previous recipients of the award have included Denny and Paul Feinsilver, Elsie Sterling Howard, and Renee and Jay Weiss. This year, Fredi and Bob Consolo, Peggy and Michael Silver, Gail Gidney and Elsie Sterling Howard, gala organizers since it?s inception in 1992, have passed the torch to the dynamic leadership of Lily and David Serviansky, who will serve as Gala Chairs. They, along with Honorary Grand Gala Chairs, Penny and Roe Stamps, and Honorary Gala Chairs, Calder Race Course, the Havenick Family of The Flagler Dog Track and the Harcourt M. and Virginia W. Sylvester Foundation, promise an elegant Italian garden evening for UM/Sylvester friends and supporters. Also, in attendance will be many of the members of the Young Philanthropists for Sylvester (YPS), an organization founded to continue the legacy of giving as their philanthropic parents, families, and corporations have. Barton G, party planner extraordinaire, is transporting this year?s guests to IL GIARDINO DI VENEZIA (the Gardens of Venice), to enjoy an elegant gourmet dinner as they dance to the music of The Ruby Baker orchestra. A highlight of the evening, a one-of-a-kind $45,000 Kieselstein-Cord necklace, a unique work of art created exclusively for this year?s IL GIARDINO DI VENEZIA by the jewelry world?s premier artists, International Honorary Chairman, Barry Kieselstein-Cord, to be raffled during the evening. Saks Fifth Avenue - Bal Harbour is sponsoring an exciting ?Sakstini Extravaganza,? where 50 guests may purchase a $250 Limoncello Martini and have the opportunity to draw from an exclusive collection of gifts. The 2008 In The Garden Gala auction will once again feature UM/Sylvester ?Wish List? items. Guests will have the opportunity to purchase a variety of research equipment, hospital supplies, and necessary items needed at the cancer center. At the 2006 gala, with the generous support of numerous guests, nearly $25,000 was raised for ?Wish List? items. This year the silent auction, chaired by Joanne Hildebrandt, will be bigger than ever and will include priceless experiences, luxurious trips, jewelry, services, and merchandise from some of the world?s most exclusive retailers, resorts, restaurants, hotels, cruise lines and jewelers. Among the exciting items to bid on will be four VIP tickets to the annual Macy?s Thanksgiving Day Parade and two VIP tickets to the upcoming Victoria?s Secret Fashion Show to be held this fall at The Fontainebleau Resort.