After last year’s successful celebration, it came as no surprise that the second annual Black & White Masquerade Ball hosted by the Exchange Club of Indian River had sold out long before guests began to descend upon the Vero Beach Country Club. The evening’s Let’s Have a Ball fundraiser was reminiscent of Truman Capote’s lavish 1966 black and white ball at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.
Guests Saturday evening hid behind elaborately decorative masks – feathered, bedazzled and filigreed – while enjoying cocktails and a surf-and-turf dinner, took fun pictures in a photo booth and danced to the sounds of DJ Fuzzy. A black and white concoction from Ace Cakery had been placed temptingly in a place of prominence before the cake was served up as a scrumptious after-dinner treat.
Guests had a chance to peruse various raffle, live and silent auction items before Wesley Davis created a bidding frenzy during the live auction. Among the items up for grabs during the live auction were a highly sought-after Windsor Golf package and a Wines for Humanity sampling.
The Exchange Club of Indian River has been providing the community with programs focused on youth activities, community service and the promotion of Americanism since 1973.
“It’s a busy club. We have 44 members in our club, which was a spinoff of the Exchange Club of Vero Beach when a group of members wanted to start a club for younger members,” said event chair Nancy Gollnick, adding that they hoped to raise at least $10,000 from the Masquerade Ball.
The club participates in fundraising events throughout the year, with all proceeds benefiting local projects and child abuse prevention, including parenting skills training, counseling for homeless families, adoption awareness, swimming lessons, water safety, and tuition for summer programs and field trips.
For more than 30 years the group relied on its annual Blue Water Open as the major fundraiser, but last year opted to replace the fishing tournament with the Black and White Ball and the Vero Beach Air Show.
Members continue their focus to create a way for future generations to get involved through Excel Clubs, Pathfinders and Youth Guidance at the high school level. They have also begun to host clubs at the various middle schools.
“We’re trying to teach community spirit and giving back. We want the kids to realize this is a life-long commitment,” Gollnick explained. “We are all working to make our community a better place.”
Each year the club honors local volunteers with the Book of Golden Deeds Award in recognition of their time and dedication toward making our community a better place to live.
The club is already busy planning additional fundraisers. On Dec. 1 it will host a painting party at Painting with a Twist, and it’s also working on a progressive dinner to be held this spring on the new vintage-style Treasure Coast Trolley.
