PLANTING FOR PAM: Handing a shiny new shovel to a shiny new mayor, co-chairs Mickey and Diane Jacobs welcomed Pam Iorio to SilverSpoons & Sandcastles, the 12th auction benefit for the Mayor's Beautification Program. Board president Larry Wilder applauded the mayor's environmental enthusiasm, and trustee emeritus Guy King presented her with his latest hybrid hibiscus, called the "Mayor Pam."
Almost 800 guests, mostly city staffers and corporate brass, poured into the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center during the April 25 downpour. Scattered through the auction displays: wine glasses painted by Tampa notables and professional artists, including Rocky Bridges, Roberta Schofield, Joyce Lazzara, Jeff Whipple and Sue Ben.
Guests could also watch artists Judy Patterson, Victoria Fricot, Karen Solomon and Sergey Grebeniouk at work during the party, then bid on the finished creation.
Lawyer Mike Trocke, founder of the Mayor's Beautification Program, danced with delight at the longevity of the organization he developed for Mayor Sandy Freedman in 1989.
Funded by donations and grants, the program aims to enhance the environment and teach job skills through such initiatives as Project PLANT and Trees for Tampa.
PLASMA PLEASE: The sun came out to play Saturday for Brunch by the Bay. The invitation to the Florida Blood Services Foundation benefit - drawn by Nancy Henderson - said Key West casual, but patrons wore enough Lilly Pulitzer pinks and greens for an ad campaign.
Calypso drums beat softly at the back porch buffet hosted by Liz and David Kennedy at their Tampa Bay-front home. Guests ate kebabs and conch fritters and bid on a silent auction of 12 decorated conch shells. Picture a velvety blue conch, a Devil Rays conch and a button-covered conch.
As guests breezed off with the bromeliad centerpieces - $25 donation, please - director Jane Riley Leach said the brunch should net $20,000 for the foundation, the philanthropic arm of Florida Blood Services. The agency serves 34 hospitals and 80 ambulatory care facilities.
ACES ALL: Rasheda Ali-Walsh, daughter of Muhammad Ali, summed up her father's advice to others with Parkinson's disease: "attitude." Ali-Walsh spoke to 350 supporters Saturdayat a Casino Night Gala benefit for the Florida Coalition to Cure Parkinson's Disease. Gaming tables at the Hyatt Regency Tampa stayed busy until dinner, when guests exchanged chips for tickets to win prizes.
Los Angeles Times reporter Joel Havemann spoke about his book, A Life Shaken: My Encounter with Parkinson's Disease. The University of South Florida's upbeat coach Jim Leavitt compared the challenges of starting a football team to building the Parkinson's coalition. U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, D-Tampa, praised his neighbor, gala co-chairwoman Erica Mandelbaum, for her strength in battling the disease.
Ali-Walsh and Dr. Robert Hauser of the USF Movement Disorder Center recognized recipients of six grants partially funded by the coalition. Mark Wilson, anchor for Fox 13 News and emcee for the third year, called USF "ground zero source for Parkinson's disease."
HIGH NOTES: Opera lovers dined in a white tent Saturday at the Opera Tampa Guild Gala before the opening performance of Otello at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. Series sponsor Helen Torres was regal in purple satin; guild co-chair Carole Hooper chose chic mint green. Gala chairwoman Joan Jennewein charmed in black lace.
After the performance, guests joined maestro Anton Coppola and principals of the cast for dessert and cordials. Opera Tampa Guild, formerly the Bravo Society, was formed in 1996 to sing out in support of opera.
PILLOW TALK: A dozen designers and retailers toted tiles, pillows, lamps, fabric, beds, dressers, window treatments and more to Upscale on Sale, a new fundraiser for the Florida Orchestra Guild. Furniture stores and interior decorators sold their excess inventory at the West Tampa Convention Center on April 25 and last Saturday, with 20 percent going to the guild.
Chairwoman Diane Murfee called it a win for everyone. Designers got to clean out their back rooms. The public got phenomenal home decor at great deals. And the orchestra got generous support.
"There is so much potential. We're definitely going to expand," said Murfee. "Every designer said, "Count me in next year.' "
HE RAISED, SHE RAISED: One dollar raised equals one vote in the Man & Woman of the Year campaign for the Suncoast Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Whoever gets the most votes wins the title.
The 11 candidates were introduced April 24 at Neiman Marcus, including Wendy Krimins, Malio Iavarone and Curtis Stokes. To add to their total donations, candidates are soliciting items to be sold in a silent auction at the Grand Finale Gala on June 19 at the Marriott Waterside.
"So we really don't know who wins until the auction closes," said Ann Porrino, campaign manager.
- To pass along tips to Amy Scherzer, reach her at 226-3332 or scherzer@sptimes.com
