- November 23, 2024
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Renee Hamad couldn’t stop smiling on April 18.
Organizers adorned the Michael’s On East ballroom with Egyptian-themed decor in celebration of Hamad, who was all laughs as she was roasted by several loved ones for the annual Sertoma Sarasota Celebrity Roast.
The “Queen of the Nile,” as roastmaster Bob Wilson dubbed her, moved to the U.S. from Egypt in 1965, thus the reasoning for the decor, which featured everything from hieroglyphic-patterned candles to a throne fit for a pharaoh.
After mingling and dinner, eventgoers heard an introduction by Wilson and Phil Mancini, who got emotional speaking about his relationship with Hamad and how much their friendship meant to him in one of his most difficult times.
Several roasters then took the stage, including Tom Honsa, Hillary Steele and Hamad’s daughter, Dr. Karen Hamad, who poked fun at Hamad and shared several humorous stories from her past.
The event benefited Sertoma Sarasota, a local chapter of a national nonprofit that assists people with speech, hearing and language disorders.