The Vero Beach Women’s Club put the kettle on for its second annual Mad Hatters Tea Party, to raise scholarship money for college-bound young ladies attending the Gifford Youth Achievement Center.
Dressed in their Sunday best and adorned with hats bursting with a garden’s worth of color, women and young ladies enjoyed an afternoon tea at the Women’s Club’s historic landmark building. Three-tiered serving stands, piled with finger sandwiches and bite-size sweets catered by Adrienne Drew, sat atop tables beautifully decorated with vintage teacups and tablecloths.
Members of the Gifford Youth Orchestra provided the musical entertainment, a fitting pairing, noted GYO founder Rev. Dr. Crystal Bujol, who called the GYAC its cousin because of their tangential missions.
Both nonprofits promote the development of self-esteem and character by encouraging children to reach their full potential. GYO does so through musical and cultural education, while GYAC does so through academic tutoring and mentoring, and exposure to career options in the arts, science, math and literature.
Other amusements included a silent auction and an Easter Bonnet competition, with attendees vying for the title of Best British Hat, Best in Show, and Most Colorful/Original.
“A tea party is a wonderful way to bring women together,” said Gail Alexander, VBWC vice president.
The nonprofit club, whose motto is “In unity there is strength,” raised nearly double the amount of funds as last year, enabling them to provide scholarships to three deserving young women.
“The Vero Beach Women’s Club Scholarship helps us provide scholarships to GYAC’s former and current high school students headed off to college,” said Angelia Perry, GYAC executive director, adding that the funding helps students with tuition, books and other expenses.
“This makes a difference to these students. They’re very appreciative of the funds they receive because they know it helps offset some of those out-of-pocket expenses,” said Perry.
Lenore Carter, currently in ninth grade, shared that she has attended GYAC since kindergarten. She said that her experiences there have helped her to grow, exposing her to programs and activities that she otherwise would not have experienced.
“Lenore is a good student. The fact that she’s still here speaks to her love of the program and the staff,” noted Perry.
Tyjah Warner, an eighth-grade student at Oslo Middle School, described GYAC as a wonderful place to be.
“The teachers care about the students and their education. GYAC helps students strive for academic excellence, respect and community involvement,” said Warner.
One could almost sense the approval of Irene Young, who founded the VBWC in 1915, originally as the Woman’s Unity Club. As the wife of Anthony W. Young, Vero’s first mayor, she sought to provide women with a conduit to help the community.
With renewed vigor, the VBWC has had an influx of new members and is planning to renovate the historic building, an icon of Vero’s history. The building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in February 1995 and is available for event rentals.
For more information, visit VeroBeachWomensClub.org.
Photos by Kaila Jones
