INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Those attending the fifth annual “Love Your Lagoon” gala, sponsored by the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Foundation (HBOIF), will be supporting graduate student-based research on the Indian River Lagoon conducted at FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI).
Tickets are now available for the event, which will be held on Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 at 6 p.m. at HBOI, 5600 US 1 North, Fort Pierce.
Proceeds from the 2016 event will fund the work of students involved in HBOI’s Indian River Lagoon Graduate Research Fellows program. The competitive process will result in support for salary, tuition, travel to present research, and/or materials necessary for the research project. Fellows will ultimately present their research at the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) Symposium as well as at the FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Science Graduate Research Day.
In addition, proceeds from the 2016 “Love Your Lagoon” gala will support the fifth annual IRL Symposium, a multi-institutional, multi-agency effort to provide a forum for discussing IRL science and its application to management of the lagoon. This year’s symposium will be held on Feb. 11 and 12 at HBOI. For more information, visit http://www.indianriverlagoon.org/symposium.html.
“Over the past four years, HBOIF’s ‘Love Your Lagoon’ gala has raised over $290,000 for Indian River Lagoon research and education,” said Katha Kissman, HBOIF President & CEO. “The Foundation’s Board of Directors sincerely thanks all past and current sponsors and attendees for supporting the important work being led by Harbor Branch researchers and students to protect and preserve our Indian River Lagoon. We warmly welcome new sponsors and attendees to our 2016 event to achieve an even greater impact.”
The Smithsonian’s emeritus senior research scientist, Mary E. Rice, Ph.D., will be this year’s guest of honor. Rice is known locally for her long-term scientific studies of invertebrates of the Indian River Lagoon and offshore waters of Florida and the Caribbean, and as the first director of the Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce.
Honorary Host Committee Co-Chairs for the 2016 event are: Mr. William J. Stewart, Esq. and Mrs. Laurie Kaneb-Stewart.
Honorary Host Committee members include: Dr. Ralph W. Alewine, III and Mrs. Betty C. Alewine, Mr. Bob Brunjes and Mrs. Amy Brunjes, Mr. John Connors and Mrs. Sheila Connors, Mr. Brad Emmons and Mrs. Rebecca Emmons, Mr. George Kahle and Mrs. Sandy Kahle, Mr. Trent Leyda and Mrs. Rachel Leyda, Mr. John Orcutt and Mrs. Judy Orcutt, Mr. Toby Overdorf and Mrs. Maggie Overdorf, Mr. Jim Swann and Mrs. Jonnie Swann, and Mr. Pete Tesch.
Major sponsors for this year’s event include: Mangrove Sponsors: Mr. Joseph Z. Duke, III and Mrs. Jennifer Johnson Duke.
Seagrass Sponsors: Mr. Michael O’Reilly and Mrs. Marie O’Reilly.
Oyster Sponsors: Mr. James Johnson and Mrs. Gretchen Johnson, PNC Bank, Treasure Coast Newspapers.
Dolphin Sponsors: Dr. Ralph W. Alewine, III and Mrs. Betty C. Alewine, Mr. Howard Brennan & Mrs. Colleen Brennan, Evans Properties, Inc., Ms. Katha Kissman, Dr. Ed Lippisch and Mrs. Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch, Mr. John N. McConnell, Jr. and Mrs. Marilyn McConnell, Mr. Michael D. Minton & Mrs. Misty Minton and The Law Firm of Dean, Mead, Minton & Zwemer, Ms. Marjorie Raines, Mr. William J. Stewart, Esq. and Mrs. Laurie Kaneb-Stewart, Mr. Michael Toner and Mrs. Carol Toner, 93.7 WGYL, 97.1 Ocean FM, and Newsradio 1490 WTTB.
Manatee Sponsors: Adams Ranch, AT&T, Mr. John Connors and Mrs. Sheila Connors, Dr. Tom Galinis and Dr. Shannon Plymale-Galinis and Aesthetic Dentistry of Palm City, The Kahle Foundation, Ms. Marilyn C. Link, Martin Health Systems, Mr. Patrick J. McDougal and Ms. Denise Battaglini, Mr. Ed Michelson and The Atlanta Consulting Group, Wells Fargo, Windsor.
Seahorse Sponsors: Bottom’s Up Beverage, Mr. C. Amos Bussmann & Sea Technology Magazine; Dale Sorensen Real Estate, Florida Power and Light, Mr. Patrick Higgs & Mrs. Nancy Higgs, Dr. Megan Davis & Mr. Gary Hodgkins, J.J. Taylor Companies, Inc., Kmetz, Nuttall, Elwell, Graham CPAs, Mrs. Clare Kremer, Metz, Husband & Daughton, Mikita Foundation, Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company, OTT Hydromet, Mr. Shaun Plymale and Mrs. Stacey Plymale and Treasure Coast Legal, Mr. Robert J. Stilley and The Honorable MaryLynn Magar, Stuart Magazine, Mr. Jim Swann and Mrs. Jonnie Swann, UniFirst-Uniform Services.
For sponsorship or ticket information ($200 per person), call (772) 466-9876, ext. 200, email kkissman@hboifoundation.org or visit http://www.hboifoundation.org/p/50/love-your-lagoon-dinner.
