On any day of the year, the Environmental Learning Center, an ecological sanctuary on the Indian River Lagoon, is filled with wonder. The ELC welcomes everyone – young and old – to press pause and decompress, as they enjoy and are restored by the natural beauty of the campus and its surroundings.
On one special evening in December, it was even more dazzling than ever, as guests gathered for a festive preview of the upcoming March 16 “Restoration” fundraising gala.
Also during the March event, the new Thomas R. Schidel Education and Event Pavilion, the “culmination of several years of planning and community support,” will be unveiled and Schidel will be honored, as the ELC begins a new and exciting chapter in its three-decade-long history.
As a full moon illuminated the clear night sky from above, party music drifted through the treetops, where thousands of lights twinkled, creating delightful, woodland magic. Guests, who themselves were sparkling in festive holiday party garb, followed a sandy pathway through trees and mangroves to party central – a huge, elevated platform set with chairs, café tables, a dance floor, and a stage for a live combo. There were beverages and hors d’oeuvres aplenty, and greetings, laughter and holiday joie de vivre filled the air.
The creative mind behind the 2022 “Restoration” gala theme, and the tantalizing prelude party, was Vero Beach native Chris Foster, a gifted performer and president/creative director of FW Productions, who walked about, greeting the 100 or so attendees.
Foster said that after speaking this past summer with Barbara Schlitt Ford, ELC executive director, he had been immediately drawn to the ELC vision.
“I went away, drew the concept, and wrote the show ‘Restoration,’ based on the ELC’s whole mission,” Foster explained. When he mentioned the ELC and his gala plans to his friends in the business, he said they were equally impressed and came together to support the idea.
The glittering preview party provided what Foster called “a little teaser” of the exotically beautiful images, Vegas glamour and live entertainment that guests at the March gala can look forward to. Foster describes it as “an evening full of elegance, sensitivity and education, with elements of surprise.”
Among the many preview attendees were dedicated ELC supporters Janie Graves Hoover and Marsha Fields, who laughingly compared the equally stylish footwear choices they had made in anticipation of walking the sandy pathways.
“I love the ELC. I have a 10-year-old, Jacob, and (the ELC) has been an incredible learning experience for him since he was 4-and-a-half (years old),” raved Danielle Randall. “On one class trip, the kids were learning about crustaceans, hands on, and were measuring them.”
As dancers moved to a rhythmic Latin beat, Schlitt Ford, board chair John Daniels, and other board members and volunteers mingled with the guests and stood ready to answer any questions they might have.
“We love this; it is absolutely beautiful. The lights are gorgeous,” Alicia Mohler enthused, as she and husband Mike relaxed and enjoyed the lovely evening.
For more information, visitdiscoverelc.org.
Photos provided
