FUND-RAISER NETS $24,000
By Alejandra Rosas Staff Writer
Staff Writer They love helping people and throwing parties -- and the combination of the two works like a charm.
The Prestige Club of Broward recently raised $24,000 for 18 programs and organizations that serve children and seniors, the disabled and the hungry.
The club's fund-raising party drew 250 guests paying $50 each to the Walter C. Young Community Center in Pembroke Pines. Money also was collected through an auction and individual donations.
"Everyone had a great time," club president Polly Wilkie said.
Wilkie and then-City Commissioner Kitty Thibault established the Prestige Club in 1996 to raise money for children. Today, the club tackles myriad causes. "We do a lot," said Wilkie of her fellow club members.
Among the recipients of this year's donation are: the Florida Prevention of Suicide in the Schools; the James Jr. Fund, which financially helps children with cancer; and the Police Athletic Leagues of Davie, Hollywood and Pembroke Pines.
"Donations like those are what keep us running," said Jerry Christiansen, director of the Hollywood PAL. The donation will help finance new uniforms and shoes for 200 inner-city children on the league's football team.
According to Wilkie, SOS Children's Villages received $1,000 for its summer camp. The Southwest Focal Point Senior Center will use its donation of $500 to create a program for grandparents and children to interact during the school year.
The autistic program at Walter C. Young Middle School in Pembroke Pines received $1,500 to purchase instructional items for students.
"I applaud the hard work the Prestige Club does for kids in South Florida," said Gale Petro, the school's principal.
For the third year, the club also is making a donation to the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood. "We are very community focused, and donations that help the kids are very important," said Jackie Johnstone, the hospital's director of annual giving.
The Davie-based EASE Foundation received $1,500 in Publix gift certificates to buy food for the hungry, Wilkie said, and the Humane Society of Broward County in Fort Lauderdale will use its $750 gift to purchase food for the animals.
Every year, the Prestige Club organizes two fund-raising parties with the goal of collecting about $50,000. The club, which never has more than 100 members at a time, meets once a month for breakfast.
The 10-member board of directors, made up of residents from throughout Broward, selects the organizations and decides on the allocations.
The group's next event, a masquerade, is set for Oct. 25 at the Walter C. Young Community Center.