of EWM; Greg Barnes of Mercedes Benz of Coral Gables; chamber past chair Drew Kern of EWM Realtors.
The Southeastern Conference continues its reign over NCAA football. Congrats to Alabama fans and condolences to the Irish. The day after the BCS Championship Game, thousands of Crimson Tide/SEC fans were still enjoying South Florida’s fun in the sun following their impressive victory over Notre Dame. Two such Alabama Tide fans, Gordon and Kathleen Ladner, were seen enjoying dinner with Gulliver’s Hank Langston at Season’s 52 before driving back home the following day.
That same evening, Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce Trustees were treated to a networking reception hosted by Greg Barnes, president and COO of Mercedes Benz of Coral Gables. As the first Chamber Trustee event of 2013, folks shared holiday stories and talked of plans for the new year.
Among the many seen enjoying the event were trustee chair J. Dustin Symes of City National Bank; Nicole Waters, Mercedes Benz of Coral Gables Fleet Sales & Business Development manager; chamber president Mark Trowbridge; chamber past chairs Carolina Rendeiro, Ron Shuffield and Marc Berenfeld; Nelson Penalver, Logistical Outsourcing; Linda Knudsen and Javier Lichtl, Baptist Health; Chris Colson, Second Chance Credit, and John Allen, Home Financing Center.
Speaking of planning, Coral Gables Rotarians next dinner in their Wine and Dine for Charity series will be at Angelique Euro Café on Tuesday, Feb. 26. Event chair Rodney Langer is working with restaurant owners Carlos and Yolanda Rossi to plan a four-course menu with wine pairings that will please wine lovers and foodies alike. The price of the dinner, all inclusive, is $125 per person and proceeds from this event will benefit the Coral Gables Rotary Foundation and Kristi House.
Additional funds from series sponsors also will be divided among Kristi House, CG Rotary Foundation, GFWC Coral Gables Woman’s Club May Van Sickle Children’s Dental Clinic, Shake-A-Leg, and The First Tee Foundation. For reservations, call Rod at 786-251-8459 or Gloria at 305-968-3090.
In addition, Coral Gables Rotarians kicked off the New Year on Jan. 1 with the club’s Annual Moose Milk Party at the Gables home of Christopher and Chris Tyson. Everyone brought a covered dish and some were extraordinary such as the one provided by Dan Scipione. He not only hunted and killed a wild pig, but also cooked the meat for hours on end to prepare a truly delicious meal. Seen enjoying this and other great pot luck offerings were club president Walter Alvarez and wife, Annette, as well as several past club presidents including Deborah Swain and husband, John; Yolanda Woodbridge and husband, Fred, and Sally Baumgartner.
Finally, volunteers will provide free basic income tax return preparation and free electronic filing to individuals with low to moderate incomes ($50,000 maximum income), individuals with disabilities, non-English speaking taxpayers, and the elderly at University of Miami School of Law Campus, 1311 Miller Dr. Upcoming sessions are scheduled for Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 6 and Feb 27. Space is limited. Please contact Cecilia Calderon-Salzburg at 305-284-8195.
Until next time, keep making each day count.
If you want to submit information for this column, please send your news via email to gloriagalburns@aol.com
