Riding a Creative Wave: Reception raises funds and friends for children in Belle Glade

Tina Fanjul's lakefront home was the setting for a reception to support Creative Waves, a Palm Beach born-and-bred foundation to support education in underserved districts.

The reception took place April 13 and also served to thank Keithley Miller and hostess Fanjul for their support of Creative Waves' Belle Glade Food Drive and Children's Enrichment Center projects.

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The evening included cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, music by the Bianca Rosario Duo, and remarks from Ali Tamposi, who appeared via video. Ali was late into her pregnancy and under doctor's orders not to travel all the way from California.

Bouncing baby boy Oscar came along only a few weeks later — which means from now on, her mom can say "My daughter lives in LA and she has an Oscar," and it would be 100% true.

GRAMMY-nominated songwriter Ali and her mother Candace founded the Creative Waves Foundation to provide funding for underserved students in their academic pursuits.

That mission includes ensuring that students have a safe place during out-of-school hours and are free from hunger.

To that end, the foundation is supporting the building campaign for the Belle Glade Children’s Enrichment Center and Tina's Food Drive. Established 25 years ago by the First Haitian Baptist Church to provide a safe after-school haven for children, the center provided food, tutoring, character building instruction, as well as music and art lessons.

However, the building deteriorated and a fundraising drive for a new building is underway.

The help the families of the children who depended on the center for meals, Fanjul stepped in with her Tina’s Food Drive, which provides monthly food cards for families to cash in at the local Brava Food Market, keeping the money in the community.

More than 100 people attended the event, including Children's Enrichment Center pastor Morales St. Hilaire, Lesly Smith of the Mary Alice Fortin Foundation, Jay Owen of the Palmer Foundation, James Seimon and Walter Jones of the Sovereign Order of St. John, and Creative Waves Foundation board member Toni Mastrullo.

Fundraising efforts continue for both programs.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Creative Waves Foundation hosts fundraiser for Belle Glade center