 |
Board News:
- Susie Klock, Dr. Justin Polga and Michael Walsh join Board of Directors
- Chairman John O'Rourke joins First American Bank
- Board Member Venny Torre named President of the Business Improvement District of Coral Gables
- Scott Richey to Chair Four-Year Scholarship Committee
Focus on Funds:
- Seraphic Fire Endowment Fund receives grant from Clinton Family Fund
- The Anagnost Family Fund established
- Don and Jeannett Slesnick contribute to the Slesnick Family Fund
- Pause for a Cause Fund established
Recent Happenings:
- 8th Annual Tour of Kitchens record-breaking!
-
Dedication of the Raul E. Valdes-Fauli Coral Gables Archives Collection
- Mark your memories with a Commemorative Bench!
- Double your donation with the Key to Giving Program!
Upcoming Events:
- Foundation Scholarships Deadline: March 27th
- Downtown Gables Event Series
Merrick Society:
- Create your legacy today!
|
|
Board News
Susie Klock, Dr. Justin Polga and Michael Walsh join Board of Directors
The Coral Gables Community Foundation is proud to announce the addition of Susan Klock, Dr. Justin Polga and Michael Walsh to the Board of Directors!
Susie Klock is an Associate at Rasco Klock Perez & Nieto P.L. Susan has been an attorney since 2008, focusing on family law, environmental, law intellectual property law and antitrust violations.
Apart from her impressive legal career, Susie is also the Vice-President of Philanthropy of the Underwater Bar Association and a member of the Miami Children's Hospital Foundation Young Ambassadors. Welcome, Susie!
Dr. Justin Polga is the Medical Director of Polga Medical Group P.A., a primary care concierge medical practice with practices in Key Biscayne and South Dade. Dr. Polga has been a board-certified internist for nearly two decades.
Dr. Polga is also a Clinical Associate Professor at the Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.
He is a member of the Baptist Foundation Advisory Board and is active with the Coral Gables & Key Biscayne Chambers of Commerce, among many other organizations. Welcome, Dr. Polga!
Michael Walsh is a Financial Advisor at Evesnky & Katz/Foldes Financial. Before joining the firm, Michael was a co-instructor for graduate courses at Texas Tech University in the Department of Personal Financial Planning. Before joining the Texas Tech staff, Michael was a charitable consultant in New Jersey where he helped raise over $12 million dollars in planned and current gifts for non-profits around the greater New York area. Welcome, Michael!
Chairman John O'Rourke joins First American Bank
Foundation Board Chairman, John O'Rourke, has joined First American Bank as its Private Banking and Wealth Advisor within the Coral Gables office.
First American is the largest privately held family owned full service bank in Illinois with 50 locations in Illinois and Florida.
With more than
$3.4 billion in assets and $2.0 billion in assets under management and administration, John will oversee t
he expansion of the Bank's private banking and wealth management business in the community he has called home for most of his life. First American Bank
purchased the Bank of Coral Gables in 2014
, and is one of the leading
U.S. Small Business Administration lenders in Miami-Dade County.
Board Member Venny Torre named President of the Business Improvement District of Coral Gables
Board Member Venny Torre was named President of the Business Improvement District (BID) of Coral Gables. Venny was formerly the Treasurer of the BID. Venny has also been the Tour of Kitchens Committee Chair for the last two consecutive years.
Venny is president and CEO of Torre Companies, a full-service real estate development, construction management and certified general contracting company known for its attention to quality, creativity and design details.
Board Member Scott Richey to Chair Four-Year Scholarship Committee
Board member Scott Richey has been named Chair of the Foundation's Four-Year Scholarship Committee.
The Coral Gables Community Foundation established the Four-Year Scholarship in 2015. This scholarship awards four deserving, in-need Coral Gables Senior High School seniors $10,000 in scholarship funding for four years of college study.
Scott, Senior Vice President of Northern Trust Bank, will chair the committee and, along with committee members, review applications from students.
We are excited to work with Scott and the Four-Year Scholarship Committee on this important program!
|
|
|
Focus on Funds
Seraphic Fire Endowment Fund receives grant from the Clinton Family Fund
|
|
|
|
(From left to right) Standing: Rhett Del Campo, Mary Snow, Alaina Fotiu-Wojtowicz & Dr. Thomas C. Boyd. Seated: Charlie Munroe, Bruce and Martha Clinton & Mimi Munroe.
|
|
Good friends and supporters of Seraphic Fire, Martha and Bruce Clinton, recently made a significant investment in the Seraphic Fire Endowment Fund at the Coral Gables Community Foundation. The generous gift, made through The Clinton Family Fund, was celebrated along with Seraphic Fire's 15
th
Anniversary at an intimate reception at the home of Bill Bonn and Ruben Ceballos. The Clintons value Seraphic Fire for the integral role it plays in the cultural fabric of our community. Their gift will support Seraphic Fire's commitment to outreach, especially in bringing the arts to underserved youth in the greater Miami area, while inspiring others who also appreciate Seraphic Fire.
The Anagnost Family Fund established
|
|
|
|
George and Georgia Anagnost
|
|
Coral Gables resident Tim Anagnost recently opened the Anagnost Family Fund in memory of his parents, George and Georgia Anagnost.
Tim Anagnost was born in Chicago in 1943 and moved to Miami at the age of three. Growing up, his family endured difficult financial circumstances. Always hard workers, Tim's mother worked at a shoe factory and his father as a waiter. Nonetheless, Tim had a memorable and happy childhood. When he was 12, Tim became the bat boy for the original Miami Marlins baseball team by winning a contest in the Miami Herald.
Tim went on to graduate from Miami Senior High School and attended the University of Miami on an academic scholarship for his undergraduate degree and for law school.
Tim became a successful lawyer and in 1975, he bought a home in Coral Gables and has lived there ever since. He is a supporter of the University of Miami and Miami Children's Hospital.
According to Tim, nothing he has accomplished would have been possible without his parents and he is proud to carry on their legacy with the Anagnost Family Fund at the Coral Gables Community Foundation.
Don and Jeannett Slesnick contribute to the Slesnick Family Fund
Don and Jeannett
Slesnick
recently made a $17,000 contribution to the Slesnick Family Fund at the Coral Gables Community Foundation. Foundation Board Chairman, John O'Rourke and Executive Director, Mary Snow, were on hand to accept the contribution that will allow the Slesnick Family to continue their significant charitable giving through their Donor-Advised Fund at the Foundation. Thank you, Don and Jeannett!
Pause for Cause Fund established
Founded by Cristina Mas of CIM Consulting, Pause for a Cause is an annual event where local professionals unite to "party for a purpose" and raise money for important causes in our community. The 5th Annual Pause for a Cause will be held on Thursday, March 16th at Fritz & Franz Bierhaus. Over 30 non-profit organizations will participate and all of the evening's proceeds evenly split among them. The Coral Gables Community Foundation is proud to serve as the fiscal sponsor for this great event!
Click here to learn more
!
|
|
|
Recent Happenings
8th Annual Tour of Kitchens record breaking!
On S
aturday, February 4
th
, the Coral Gables Community Foundation's Eighth Annual
Tour of
Kitchens
broke attendance records with over 500
foodies, home-design enthusiasts and architecture admirers 'touring' the City Beautiful's finest
kitchens and homes
.
A Tour highlight was the Coral Gables Senior High School's Culinary Arts Program featuring their student chefs. The students served fried green tomatoes made with tomatoes from the school's organic vegetable garden, made possible with funding from the Culinary Arts Fund at the Coral Gables Community Foundation.
Chaired by Venny Torre, p
roceeds from the Tour of Kitchens benefits the Coral Gables Community Foundation and its Culinary Arts Fund, which provides support and scholarships for the Culinary Arts Program at Coral Gables Senior High School.
Dedication of the Raul E. Valdes-Fauli Coral Gables Archives Collection
On Thursday, January 12th, the City of Coral Gables and the Coral Gables Community Foundation hosted the dedication of the Raul E. Valdes-Fauli Coral Gables Archives Collection at the Historical Resources & Cultural Arts Center.
The Archives Collection is dedicated to the memory of the late Raul E. Valdes-Fauli and made possible by the Raul E. Valdes-Fauli Archives Collection Fund at the Coral Gables Community Foundation.
Mark your Memories with a Commemorative Bench!
In partnership with
the City of Coral Gables, the Coral Gables Community Foundation offers the Commemorative Bench Program. The p
rogram provides a meaningful way for people, non-profit and government organizations, and companies to honor the legacy of a loved one, a special milestone or commemorative event with a bench in one of the City's green spaces or parks. The commemorative benches are 6-feet-long, UV- and moisture-resistant and have an estimated 15-year lifetime.
Double your donation with the Key to Giving program
|
Consider doubling your donation to one of the participating
non-profit organizations through our Key to Giving program!
|
|
The Coral Gables Community Foundation's
Key to Giving
program has launched once again in partnership with the Key Biscayne Community Foundation and the Himan Brown Charitable Trust.
The program allows individuals in our community an opportunity to support the greater community by making a matched charitable gift to 25 pre-selected non-profits that are making a difference in Coral Gables and throughout Greater Miami.
By donating your time and treasure through the Key to Giving Program, the Coral Gables Community Foundation, Key Biscayne Community Foundation and the Himan Brown Charitable Trust have committed an initial monetary pool as incentive dollars to match donations received between $50 and $500 per donor
to the participating organizations. For any one gift greater than $500, the first $500 will be considered for matching funds.
Click here to view the list of participatory non-profits and donate your time and have your donations matched!
|
|
|
Upcoming Events
Foundation Scholarship Deadline: March 27th
The Foundation's scholarships deadline is fast approaching! Visit the scholarship page on our website to find out more about the various college scholarships available for local high school students.
Downtown Gables Event Series
For more information on the Downtown Gables Event Series,
click here.
|
|
|
Merrick Society
Create
your Legacy Today!
George Merrick's vision for better living continues today as involved Coral Gables stakeholders strive to maintain the look and feel of the City Beautiful. Do you have a vision for Coral Gables? The Coral Gables Community Foundation established the Merrick Society so that visionary people like you can continue George Merrick's dream. The Merrick Society preserves key philanthropic activities in the Gables and raises unrestricted funds for the Foundation.
This exclusive group commits to a three-year annual contribution of $1,000, $2,500, $5,000, or $10,000. To find out more, please contact our Executive Director, Mary Snow, at 305.446.9670, or via email at
mary@gablesfoundation.org
The Foundation is pleased to present
our
MERRICK SOCIETY DONORS
$100,000
Robert J. "Bob" & Marian Fewell
$60,000
William A. Bonn & Ruben Ceballos
$25,000
Matthew Meehan & Rod Hildebrant
$10,000
Evelyn J. Budde
·
Jack Lowell
$5,000
Alex Montague
· David Olazabal · Ron Shuffield
$4,000
John R. Allen, Jr.
· Patricia Blanco · Wayne Cameron Eldred · Carlos F. Garcia · Henry Langston · Jason Neal · Alfonso & Shannon Perez · John O'Rourke · Donald & Jeannett Slesnick
·
Wayne E. "Chip" Withers
$3,000
George Corrigan · Sissy DeMaria · Sasha Dolgicer · Dr. Joyce Elam · Zeke Guilford · Andria Hanley · Patricia Keon · Nelson Lazo · Paul Lowenthal · David Mitchell · Eddie & Judy Snow · The Torre Family · Jose Valdes-Fauli & Shed Boren · Marielena Villamil
$2,500
Rick & Margarita Tonkinson
$2,000
Eric Gros-Dubois ·
Jorge Gutierrez · Nelson Lazo
· Pedro R. Parra
· Scott A. & Nanda Poulin ·
Brett & Daniella Reynolds
· Scott J. Richey · Ari Rollnick ·
Lori V. Thomas · Oscar Torres
$1,000
Anne F. Boley · Jonathan Cook · Brian & Jackie Dosal · Michael Forman ·
Nelson Hernandez · Victoria Hernandez · John Herrera, Esq. ·
IllustraDENT
· Katherine Kelly · Andrew Nadal ·
G. Frederick Reinhardt ·
Tony Rodriguez
· Laura Russo ·
Robert & Ashley Thornburg
· Mario Yngerto
*Denotes lifetime membership
|
| About Us Led by community leaders, the Coral Gables Community Foundation provides the philanthropic conduit to connect individuals and corporations looking to positively impact the success of the community. Now in its 26th year, the Foundation has been at the forefront of the evolving needs of Coral Gables while effectively bringing together beneficiaries and benefactors to fund programs with the greatest impact and benefit to "The City Beautiful." "Leaders Rise by Lifting Others." |
|
|
|
|
|
