Black Tie & Tales

+ Patron parties rev up event excitement
Kelvin and Margie Cooper hosted the March 19 sponsor party for the upcoming Orchid Ball, themed “Birds of Paradise,” at their gorgeous home in Harbor Acres. Guests admired the Cooper’s zen garden that featured a koi pond and gravel path that was raked by Kelvin himself. Co-Chairs Wayne and Mindy Rollins thanked the sponsors and told how they love being a part of the Selby family through their involvement both with the Orchid Ball and with Wayne’s participation as a Selby board trustee. Guests at the event included Mark and Aurelie van der Broek, Wayne and Debbie Seitl, Joel Ellzey, Miqui Lora, Charlie and Laurey Stryker, Cathy Layton and Billy and Nora Johnson. For tickets to the April 5 gala, call 366-5731, Ext. 229.

On the same night, patrons gathered to celebrate the upcoming Going for the Gold “The Golden Lotus” gala, benefiting YMCA Foundation of Sarasota. Guests gathered at Stanley Kane’s home and enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and a surprise dessert, chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches, in which the most dignified of guests were caught indulging in, complete with sticky fingers.

Jennifer Grondahl, Kurt Stringfellow and event Co-Chairs Merrill Bonder and Pat Martin thanked patrons for their support, which included Terry and Jim Chandler, Sean and Melanie Natarajan, Joana Pace-Brackett, Mitchell and Dawn Epstein.

At the May 3 gala, guests will enter an Indian paradise and experience the beauty of classical Indian dance — as well as have the chance to showcase their own Bollywood style moves on the dance floor. For the first time, the organization is offering a limited number of young professional tickets ($125) for philanthropists under 40. For tickets, call 951-1336.

See more photos from the patron party here.

+ Picture this ...
Imagine the top 36 male and 36 female pentathletes from around the world marching into The Ringling courtyard bearing the flags of their nations. The 100-plus movers and shakers who gathered March 20 at the bayfront home of Katherine Harris could not help but be excited by her vivid description of the opening ceremony for the Modern Pentathlon World Cup Finals that will take place in Sarasota and Bradenton in June. USA Pentathlon Chief Executive Officer Rob Stull further tantalized the crowd by describing a pentathlete athlete taking tall fences on an unknown horse, fending off an attacker with an epée, swimming 750 feet, and running two miles cross country while shooting a laser target pistol. It all inspired great anticipation, as did the host USA Pentathlon’s plans to integrate this event and three more to come in subsequent years with the communities’ arts and educational organizations, and to make them “radically relevant” to young people.

There are some delicious events planned as well, including that opening ceremony co-chaired by Anne Charter and Deb Knowles and (of course!) a gala.

The occasion for the gathering was a board meeting held by the USA Pentathlon and Stull was the keynote speaker. Among the community leaders attending were Arthur and Lynn Guilford, Teri Hansen and Sheriff Tom Knight, who will serve as Chief of Sport for the shooting part of the competition. Others included Michael Saunders, Diane McNeel, Daniel Logan, Michael and Terri Klauber, Larry and Jennifer Saslaw, Steve and Beth Knopik, Dr. Murf Klauber, John and Angela Massaro Fain and Hugh Shields.

Here’s an insider tip from Stull: Keep your eyes on the USA woman. Learn more about the Modern Pentathlon at sbpentathlon.com.

+ AJC after the deluge
The American Jewish Committee’s 2014 Human Relations Dinner got off to a soggy start March 17, with the proceedings monsoon-delayed by about 10 minutes. Then the event, honoring beloved philanthropist Gerri Aaron and AJC National Executive Director David Harris and chaired by Larry and Debbie Haspel and Matt and Lisa Walsh, soared to new heights.

Regional Director Brian Lipton, known to be on top of every last detail, was clearly gobsmacked by the announcement of a $100,000 gift in his honor from Marilyn and Irv Naiditch. That brought the already record-breaking proceeds to an even more stellar $500,000.

Harris shared his belief that, ”If you want to speak to people’s hearts, you have to speak from your heart.” 
He was clearly doing that when he spoke to the AJC mission of global advocacy, when he complimented Regional President Anne Virag for her “extraordinary devotion,” and when he said about Lipton: “If we could clone him and put him in major cities, AJC would be unstoppable and the world would be a better place.”

See more photos from the event here.

+ Tidbits
Not here you don’t … The Modern Pentathlon opening ceremony will honor Col. John W. Russell, who served with Gen. George S. Patton in WWII and returned to the United States to run the Modern Pentathlon Training Center and coach six Olympic Modern Pentathlon delegations. Event planners thought to have a performance by horses from Col. Herrmann’s Lipizzaners, descendants of those rescued by Patton. But when Ringling people got wind of it, the event team learned, “No horses at the museum” … Over the bounding main for kids … There could not have been better weather for a better cause than the March 10 cruise benefiting the Children’s Guardian Fund, which supports more than 1,000 children in state care. Chuck and Nancy Parrish hosted 40 supporters aboard their 104 foot, 90-year-old Trumpy motor yacht Freedom, a sister ship to FDR’s Sequoia. John and Mable Ringling portrayed by museum docents Pierra Ricci Freitag and Will Pearson were among the guests along with Charles and Betty Ewing, Mort and Carol Siegler, Mary Dempsey and her daughter Cathy Abrams, Norman and Lois Muse, and incoming board chairman Hal Hedley. Jasmine Candlish, who is finishing two and a half years as the organization’s leader, shared the voyage with her daughter Fiona and granddaughter Caitlin …