Bonnie Spear with Pat Murphy and Joan Chesley. [Photo: Denise Ritchie]

The glitz and glamour of holiday apparel shone nearly as brightly as the smiles of Grand Harbor residents as they gathered for the annual Evening of Giving at the Grand Harbor Golf and Tennis Club last Thursday evening, to raise funds for the charities supported by Grand Harbor Community Outreach.

The red and white décor was highlighted by a large Christmas tree adorned with paper stars and angels, representing various charities. Guests excitedly selected the ones with the desired monetary value for their favorite charities, before turning their donations over to one of the volunteer elves.

“Fourteen different charities have been vetted and approved by the Grand Harbor Philanthropy Committee,” explained Catherine Reichert, serving as event co-chair for the fifth year.

“These charities strive to help people less fortunate than most, many of whom may not even have a Christmas without a bit of Christmas magic. We know what each agency needs, and the funds are distributed directly to the charity by a specific Grand Harbor elf, who maintains a special relationship with the organization. We follow up with each recipient in January to make sure the funds were used in the manner specified.”

The results of their efforts will bring holiday joy to hundreds of children, seniors and veterans.

“This night is always the first event of the upcoming season and it’s the perfect time for all of our neighbors to welcome each other back from wherever they’ve summered,” added co-chair Tina Wilcox.

“This is my third year heading up this event and I still get chills when I read thank-you notes from those who have benefited in the past. I absolutely love Christmas and the people we are helping have very little light in their lives. We at Grand Harbor are so blessed, and the generosity of this community in sharing their blessings is overwhelming. We raise over $400,000 annually for charity exclusive of this event. This event alone will bring in between $25,000 and $30,000. It’s a nice start to the giving season.”

Management of the Grand Harbor Club generously donates all of the food, drinks and entertainment, and all staff volunteers their time, enabling 100 percent of donations to directly benefit the charities.

The Evening of Giving, which began with a simple Tree Trimming Party in the mid-1990s, is the oldest tradition in Grand Harbor. An inaugural gala was held in 2000, a year before the Grand Harbor Community Outreach was created, with a volunteer Philanthropy Committee and a business plan patterned after the successful John’s Island Foundation. The two fundraisers eventually merged and have grown exponentially through the decades.

The organizations whose holidays will be made a little brighter this year thanks to Grand Harbor residents are: The Source, Camp Haven, Vision for Reading, Senior Resources, Redlands Christian Migrant Association, CHS Transitional Living, Children’s Home Society, Hope for Families Center, Guardian Ad Litem, SNAG, St. Francis Manor, the Veterans Council, Solaris Senior Living and Bike Walk Indian River County.

For more information, visit ghcop.org.