More than 500 guests gathered at The Moorings Yacht & Country Club to attend the 13th annual Moorings Habitat Classic Weekend Gala Cocktail and Dinner Reception last Monday evening; the culmination of a weekend-long series of events to benefit Indian River Habitat for Humanity.
Members, staff and business partners of The Moorings host the event each year, which also features golf, bridge and tennis tournaments, shopping and several fitness events. The Moorings’ 2016 goal is to fund the construction of three new Habitat homes and seven property renovations in the Gifford community and to designate $10,000 for educational scholarships.
Pam and Chris Delaney and Heidi and David Sommers were the powerhouse co-chairs behind this year’s ever growing event to raise needed funds to assist county residents with ‘a hand up not a hand out.’
Guests at the gala had an opportunity to peruse and bid on an array of silent auction items before heading into the dining room, where Chef Ben Tench and his staff had laid out an impressive spread. Diners grazed at stations around the room from tables piled high with iced seafood, an assortment of pastas, beef tenderloin, lamb chops and several sweet dessert selections.
“They always do an amazing job here,” said member Dr. Bob DeWaters. “Our staff is just terrific; they take as much of a part in this as the members do. Everyone just goes out of their way to make sure it is a successful event.”
The Moorings’ Property Owners Association has been actively fundraising for Habitat for the past 16 years, and club members devised the weekend-long event three years later.
“We have a Habitat committee that runs the event in conjunction with the club,” explained co-chair Pam Delaney, estimating the event would net more than $150,000.
Ursula Gunter, The Moorings’ director of membership and marketing, said the club’s philanthropy also extends to other organizations, such as extending the use of their facilities to the Youth Guidance King of the Hill Tennis Tournaments, Wheels and Keels and the Youth Sailing Foundation.
“We do a lot for charities all year but this is definitely our biggest” said Gunter. “It was started by Bob Samuels and Dick Winkler and has evolved and developed. It is a cumulative effort by our 1,000 plus members who are all engaged in some part of it.”
Samuels credited the initial fundraising efforts to build a Habitat home and the ensuing friendly competition to raise ever greater amounts to the late Brad Burnham and to John Larsen.
“Initially all the sponsors were commercial ones until Shirley Becker came in,” said Samuels. “She wanted to do something else besides golf and I asked her to sponsor a hole for $500. The next year we asked for $20,000 to be a main sponsor. At first she seemed shocked but the check came in and she has been our main sponsor ever since.”
Members of the Becker family come in from all around the country to participate; distinguished by matching green golfing outfits – her favorite color. This year nine family members spanning three generations came from as far away as Boston.
“We were taught by our grandmother that when you are blessed you have to give back,” said grandson David.
“We have been so blessed to have this partnership with The Moorings,” said Habitat President/CEO Andy Bowler, of the generosity of members and sponsors. “They have sponsored 56 homes with Habitat which works out to one in six of the homes built over the last 16 years.”
