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Al and Nancy Malnik, Make-A-Wish® Southern Florida "Lifetime Benefactors," hosted their annual Garden Party on Sunday, April 30. The private occasion, held at their Ocean Ridge, Florida estate welcomed more than 200 supporters to celebrate the kickoff of the highly anticipated 23nd annual InterContinental® Miami Make-A-Wish® Ball, taking place Saturday, November 4, 2017.
Shareef Malnik, Board Chairman of Make-A-Wish® Southern Florida, Gala Chair of the InterContinental® Miami Make-A-Wish® Ball, and proprietor of The Forge Restaurant | Wine Bar, announced this year's theme will be Mystical Music Box while rallying excitement for another spectacular sell-out event and what is anticipated to be the charity's largest Ball to date. Shareef also announced the return of Ball celebrity emcee and documentary filmmaker Gabrielle Anwar for the 7th year – as well as a performance by Grammy award-winning entertainer Lenny Kravitz.
The elegant garden party featured passed canapes and cocktails while guests were treated to a special DECO Productions dance performance choreographed by New Century Dance Company, and music by DJ Eshkenazi. Attendees of the annual spring soiree included hosts Al and Nancy Malnik; Ball Chairman, Board Chair and Founder of Chairman's Society Shareef Malnik and 2011-2016 Ball emcee and Chairman's Society member Gabrielle Anwar; President and CEO of Make-A-Wish® Southern Florida, Norman Wedderburn; InterContinental® Miami General Manager and Gala Host Robert Hill and wife Breda Hill; socialite/philanthropists Elisabeth Kieselstein-Cord and filmmaker husband Teddy Hamm, Tracy Stern, Adriana DeMoura, and Fabian Basabe; Chairman Society members Richard Polidori, Todd and Kim Glaser, Eugene and Brooke Frenkel, Brett Rose and Jerry Gutierrez and Denise Crowley; Make-A-Wish ® Southern Florida Board Members Jennifer Barnes, Amy Federman, Jill Johns, Mayte Fernandez, Sharri Gutierrez, Joseph Perez and Jodi Siravo and Miami notables including Jerry and Rachel Libbin, Brian and Andee Holland, Trina Robinson, Clare Laverty, Jeff Kamlet, Josh and Carissa Leibman, Sean Drake and Michelle Leshem, Trish Carroll, Tara Solomon and Nick D'Annunzio.
The afternoon concluded with an endearing speech by Make-A-Wish® Southern Florida Wish recipient mother Sandra Seiden, whose son, Jacob Seiden, had his Wish to go on an Alaskan adventure fulfilled. With tears in her eyes, Sandra described how happy it made Jake to have this extraordinary experience and to interact with so many animals including baby bears, porcupines, and an octopus in the Alaskan wilderness.
Since 1983, Make-A-Wish Southern Florida has granted more than 10,000 wishes to children who have life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. The nonprofit organization serves families in Palm Beach, St. Lucie, Martin, Broward, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Highlands, Indian River, Lee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Okeechobee counties and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It receives no federal or state funding and raises money to grant wishes through corporate sponsorships, special events, foundation grants, and individual contributions. The Southern Florida chapter grants a wish every 16 hours, every day of the year, at an average cost of $5,000. For more information, to make a donation, volunteer or refer a child, contact Make-A-Wish at (888) 773-WISH. www.sfla.wish.org.
The 2016 InterContinental® Miami Make-A-Wish® Ball Ball raised $2.0 million, bringing the total amount raised over the event's history to $21 million dollars, enough to grant nearly 4,374 wishes. The annual Ball, which is regarded as one of Miami charity season's leading events, is the highest grossing fundraising event for the Southern Florida Chapter of Make-A-Wish® Foundation.
To purchase tickets to the November 4th Ball, please call 954-967-9474 ext. 318.
Celebrating 31 years as an icon of the Downtown Miami skyline, the InterContinental® Miami is located at the crossroads of Miami's Business and Arts & Entertainment districts. A beacon for business and leisure travelers alike, the hotel rises 34 stories over the city with breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean, Biscayne Bay and the Port of Miami. The hotel features 641 luxury guest rooms, including 34 suites and two presidential suites designed by Venus William's V Starr Interiors; 35 meeting rooms with over 101,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and exhibition space, including a spectacular Grand Ballroom; multiple food and beverage outlets – Toro Toro, ¡Ole!, Bluewater, Table 40 and the hotel's interactive digital arts lobby lounge; full-service fitness center and spa at mySpa Miami; and rooftop pool deck with gardens. The InterContinental Miami is a proud corporate citizen of the Miami-Dade community, invested through its annual InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball, and its corporate social responsibility program. For more information or reservations, call 305-577-1000 or visit www.icmiamihotel.com.
MEDIA DISCLAIMER
The InterContinental® Miami's partnership with Make-A-Wish® Southern Florida is more than being just the venue. As the Ball Founder, 22-Year Partner and In-Kind Donor of Make-A-Wish® Southern Florida, the hotel has donated the in-kind value of the event's food, beverage, parking accommodations and venue expenses, in addition to more than 9,200 management hours committed to the planning of the Gala over the past 22 years. Please help us recognize this and maintain our trademark. When referencing the event, the correct and only wording to be used is as follows:
Photo Credits: David Lominska, Diana De Rosa Photography, Hope Gainer
