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Amy Scherzer's Diary

Fundraiser fun tales

By Amy Scherzer
Published March 17, 2006

Talk about karma. Beverly and Ron Bailey not only hosted Tale of the Sea for the South Tampa Auxiliary of the Children's Home, they also won the drawing for a trip to Athens and two Greek islands at the Mediterranean theme party Saturday.

Guests went exploring the Baileys' 13,000-square-foot Harbour Island home, stopping in the home theater to watch a video about the Children's Home residential treatment programs for abused and abandoned youth. They followed their noses to the waterfront where Mise en Place grilled shrimp and lamb. In the 1980s, this auxiliary was known for its lavish fundraisers, and this affair marked a welcome comeback. One of the 200 guests must have been a bit disappointed: Nick Kavouklis bought 13 chances for $100 each just minutes before the drawing.

Auxiliary president and event chair Helen Jones dedicated the evening and all her efforts on behalf of the Children's Home to her father, Michael Koulianos, 91, who grew up an orphan in Greece and moved to Tarpon Springs at 19. She is thrilled to be able to tell him the party raised $20,000 for the 5- to 8-year-olds living in Conn Cottage.

LAS DAMAS DRAWS: "I hope you'll buy with enormous zest,'' said Pat Benjamin, president of Las Damas de Arte to the crowd at Sunday in the Arts, the annual benefit for the women's club's art scholarships. With that, Liz Bonney, a first-year member, sold the first piece in the exhibition of work by 50 women at Scarfone/Hartley Gallery at the University of Tampa on Sunday.

New this year: Best of Show prizes. Judges Margy Miller, director of University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum, and Ken Rollins, interim director of Tampa Museum of Art, awarded first place, $500, to Betsy Orbe Lester. Her artwork will be featured on next year's invitation.

Second place went to Suzanne Camp Crosby for Old Fashioned Girl, a nostalgic photo collage of her wedding dress, her mother's puzzle pieces, her grandmother's feather fan and her mother-in-law's vintage paper dolls. Virginia Shields took third place. And don't think the prize money comes out of the event's proceeds. Billie Cox Glimpse and Nancy Calfee donated the prize money.

YANKEE SPIRIT: In 80 years since the Boys & Girls Clubs began offering youth activities in Tampa, "no one has done more for us than George Steinbrenner and his family,'' said Roy Opfer, president at the New York Yankees luncheon March 8.

And no one was more surprised than The Boss when Opfer announced the West Tampa Boys & Girls Club on N Boulevard will now be called the Steinbrenner Family Club. Hearing that moved him to tears and 700 fans to their feet.

A must-show for the players and coaches, the annual luncheon at the Marriott Waterside begins with an autograph session. Only four players were missing, Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, Bernie Williams and Alex Rodriguez, who were at the World Baseball Classic. Yankee legends like Yogi Berra, Reggie Jackson and Hector Lopez easily made up for their absence. Emcee John Wilson of WTVT-Ch. 13 introduced them all, but no one got as much applause as The Boss.

Sponsors Adele Smithers-Fornaci of the Christopher D. Smithers Foundation and Ferman Motor Car picked up the lunch tab. That means the Boys & Girls Club keeps the $260,000 raised, includingÊ$3,500 for a Steinbrenner-autographed bat at the silent auction. The luncheon is so popular that the $250-tickets available online Dec. 5 were sold out in 18 minutes.

MARKET MAVENS: Those hardworking Chiselers hosted their 10th annual Preview Party the night before they knocked themselves out selling piles of stuff Saturday at the 43rd annual Chiselers' Market at the University of Tampa.

As 500 guests arrived for cocktails and to survey the goods, they spied pictures of honorary chairwoman Betty Wood on the buffet. Seeing Wood as a high school drum major, young bride and dancing Junior Leaguer brought back memories for many.

Auctioneer Laura York sold the New York Yankees package to Jerry Bobier for the third year. His $3,500 bid gets him four box seats to three games, two Jet Blue tickets and dinner at the Palm restaurant in New York.

Guests paid "twice the price'' for anything purchased at the preview, where longtime Chiseler Bev Austin watched over the clothing in the boutique, which included quite a few items from St. John Knits. When her husband, Al, wandered in looking for her, he was heard to exclaim, "So that's where my bathrobe went!''

All the expenses haven't been tallied, but estimates are the weekend events grossed about $200,000, with the preview party making double the market sales. Proceeds will go to Plant Hall restoration projects.

TRIBUTE: The Tampa Ameet chapter of Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, celebrated its five-year anniversary by honoring 11 women for their community leadership: Rebecca Harris Barancik, Alissa Fischel, Esther Happle, Jan Lepow, Lisa Robbins, Carrie Scheiner, Christine Stockelman, Judy Van Der Stelt, Joan Wadler, Stefanie Wisselman and Miriam Zohar were introduced at a Women of Valor Gala at the Centre Club on March 4.

Leslie Joy Ickowitz, editor of Tampa Bay's Best magazine, and Rabbi Shoshana Conover emceed the program, which included a salute to 60 life and charter Hadassah members. Guest speaker Deborah Kaplan, past national Hadassah president, updated the 180 guests on the group's work in Israel.

To pass along tips to Amy Scherzer, blog her at www.sptimes.com/party where you'll find more pictures, events and links, or call 226-3332.

[Last modified March 16, 2006, 12:20:55]