VERO BEACH — Everyone loves a good mystery, especially when combined with a good cause, as evidenced by the sold-out crowd at Monday night’s Opening Night Red Carpet Evening to benefit the Homeless Family Center. Supporters were entertained at the Quail Valley River Club with an evening that began with cocktails and a silent auction and ended with a classic who-done-it. (Check out the photo gallery at the end of the story.) Volunteer ‘ushers’ guided guests into the beautifully decorated dining room for a gourmet dinner prepared by Chef Joe, combined with a Sleuths Mystery Dinner Show from Orlando.
The golden age of Hollywood came to Vero, complete with starlets Tracy Carroll and Suzanne Bolinger entering into the movie premier on the arm of Antonio Bandaras, aka Tom Nelson. The intrigue surrounding the murder of a tinsel town agent was solved by engaging the audience, which obtained clues by asking questions. Bill Cairns was the grand prize winner (a gigantic magnifying glass to help solve his next mystery), randomly chosen from among those who guessed that the director was the evil doer. The other correct guessers didn’t go home empty handed though – they all received smaller magnifying glasses.On a more serious note, John Moore spoke eloquently about his and wife Lee’s commitment to assisting those less fortunate and the critical need for community’s support. Guests donated generously in response to his request for them to give from the heart. Approximately $50,000 was raised by the event; funds that will enable the HFC to assist homeless families by giving them the tools to achieve self-sufficiently.
The Homeless Family Center provides educational job training classes and other tools to assist in the search for wage paying jobs, with the ultimate goal of families moving into their own homes and becoming self-sufficient members of the community. A United Way agency, the Homeless Family Center was the recipient of the 2009 Agency Excellence Award.
The event’s Corporate Sponsor was the George E. Warren Corporation and the hard-working event committee was co-chaired by Liz Mayo and Carol Durrant. {igallery 84}