The Grand Harbor Golf and Beach Club may not have been blanketed with snow for the recent Winter Wonderland-themed Gala and Auction, hosted by members of the Grand Harbor Community Outreach Program, but there was still a flurry of generous giving to support local charities.
More than 200 guests attended the ninth annual event, the avalanche of quick ticket-buying occurring within hours of their becoming available for the event, during which attendees were wined and dined amid a glittery world of dazzling magic and wonder.
After catching up over a sumptuous dinner and perusing silent-auction items, things got fairly competitive during a live auction, with spirited bidding on a variety of vacation experiences, gourmet dinners and artwork.
Just prior to their Angel Auction, hearts were melted as gala committee member Susanne Sweeny shared some of the startling statistics that had initially set Grand Harbor residents to work as they strove to support the community.
In her “Tale of Two Cities,” Sweeny said that while Indian River County is the seventh wealthiest county in Florida, there is a darker side.
Nineteen percent of children live in families where the income is below the federal poverty level, and there are hundreds of homeless adults and children. Among the local veteran population, 5,100 are disabled and 1,000 are living in poverty. Additionally, there are more than 11,600 senior citizens who live alone, 22 percent of whom are in poor health.
Sweeny said she had been shocked to learn that IRC had the 10th largest income gap between the top 1 percent and the bottom 99 percent out of 3,061 counties nationwide.
The Angel Auction was added four years ago as yet another way for attendees to contribute to areas of critical needs supported by GHCOP. Angel donors receive a shell angel to hang up in their home as a reminder that their support has helped improve the lives of neighbors in need. Funds raised through the auction have doubled since its inception.
The nonprofit group has given more than $7 million over the past 21 years to local charities to support unmet needs in the county in the areas of health, education and human services. Last year GHCOP provided funding to 28 agencies, with 100 percent of contributions given to charities that seek to transform lives, strengthen families and improve the community.
“This is an extremely caring, loving and giving community,” said Maureen Kahrmann, event co-chair with Lisa Alcock. “Those types of people just gravitate here [to Grand Harbor]. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. Almost everyone is involved in some sort of charity, giving or outreach. Everyone here is just so philanthropic.”
For more information, visit ghcop.org.
Photos by Kaila Jones
