Raining green: 43rd annual Winter Ball raises nearly $15 million for county's youth
Tom Peterffy is the best gala guest, like, ever.
Really, who else would bring a $10 million hostess gift? Petterffy's donation at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County's Winter Ball helped set a record for the event.
The 43rd annual dinner dance took place Feb. 2 at The Breakers and took its theme from Jules Verne's "Around The World in 80 Days."
Lynne Wheat once again served as chairwoman for the evening, which began with al fresco cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in the Mediterranean Courtyard. After cocktails, the sold-out crowd moved to Venetian Ballroom — decorated with hot-air balloons in keeping with the theme — for welcoming remarks from the chairwoman and from Boysn & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County CEO Jaene Miranda.
Dinner was surf-and-turf, and The Breakers' famous sundae, but the post-dessert was clams.
Lots and lots of clams. As in dollars.
In addition to Petterffy's $10 million clams — earmarked for planned Club expansions — the night's charitable haul included a $1 million gift from William Lauder and Lori Kantor Tristch toward STEM programming endowment at the new Julie and Mike Connors Club at Dreher Park; and $100,000 each from Steve and Andrea Wynn, John and Amy Phelan, and the Meg Braff-Dustin Mizell-John Rogers-Scott Snyder Top Of Mind Foundation, earmarked for a new bus to transport Belle Glade-area students from school to their local clubs.
Factor in the additional $3.5 million from ticket/table sales, auction proceeds and the remaining Call To The Heart pledges, and chairwoman Wheat can claim bragging rights for her nearly $15 million haul, the bulk of which will help fund BGPBC's athletic, academic, mental health, and hunger relief programs.
“It is simply awe-inspiring to see our community come together and lend their overwhelming support," Wheat said. "It is heartwarming to think that the generosity of the night will make such a positive generational impact on the youth in Palm Beach County.”
Jennifer Fischer, Audrey Gruss, Amy Phelan, and Andrea Wynn were co-chairwomen for the night, which continued with a balloon drop and dancing to the music of The Sultans. More than 500 people attended.
Founded in 1971, Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County is a not-for-profit youth development organization dedicated to promoting the educational, vocational, health, leadership and character of boys and girls in a safe, nurturing environment through programs to help youth build skills, self-esteem and values during critical periods of growth. The 20 Boys & Girls Clubs throughout Palm Beach County serve more than 13,000 children ages 6-18.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Winter Ball raises nearly $15 million for county Boys & Girls Clubs
