Over 200 gather for High Heels and Handshakes affair at Crave

A record crowd of more than 200 women and a few men gathered on Aug. 15 for a High Heels and Handshakes event at Crave in the Village of Merrick Park. Christina Ward, group sales and marketing manager for Crave, is co-founder of High Heels and Handshakes, a community resource organization that brings together philanthropic business citizens through events benefiting local and global non-profit organizations.

Pink was the color of the day for attire and prizes were awarded for best heels while the crowd enjoyed several networking games, cocktails and food. Ward also invited the participation of several vendors who set up tables and gave a percentage of their sales that evening back to participating charities.

As with all High Heels and Handshakes events, admission was a donation of $10 and/or high heels, with proceeds benefiting different local charities each time and the heels going to Dress for Success Miami. Beneficiaries of this most recent affair were Macarena Zilveti’s Badges of Courage Foundation and the GFWC Coral Gables Woman’s Club May Van Sickle Children’s Dental Clinic. While Badges of Courage supports low-income women with breast cancer and those who are in treatment, the CGWC’s Children’s Dental Clinic provides more than $230,000 in free dental care annually to disadvantaged children in Miami Dade County. Both great charities are run by women.

Crave continues to host other charitable events and, in fact, hosted the Rotary Club of Coral Gables membership social that same week on Friday night.

Speaking of Rotary, the club will be unfolding an exciting new fundraiser for the coming fall and winter. Those of you who love good food and wine will want to stay tuned for information on a series of wine dinners the club will organize under the direction of Rotarian Rodney Langer this year that will afford sponsors a chance to get exposure over a five- to six-month period and invite clients to some terrific dinners.

Finally, you still have time to register for the Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes. This promises to be a wonderful family event that will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22, at Marlins Park (West Plaza). Join CBS4 meteorologist Craig Setzer who will lead the walk at 9 a.m. For details, visit www.diabetes.org/stepoutmiam

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


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A graduate of the University of Florida with a major in Spanish, Burns has an extensive background in advertising, marketing and reciprocal trade, travel , non profit consulting and management. Before joining Miami's Community Newspapers as a columnist and marketing specialist, Gloria was the Executive Director of the Jr. Orange Bowl Committee (6 yrs.) and first Executive Director of the Coral Gables Community Foundation (14 yrs.) and the Pinecrest Community Foundation (1 ½ yrs) . Burns' volunteer activities led her to become a columnist for Community Newspapers writing Gloria’s Gab, that focuses on the non-profit activity, and a host of an online show, Gloria's Gab LIVE. Gloria serves the board of the Rotary Club of Coral Gables as Civic and Charity Chair, and is involved in the club's International Committee. She is an active Life Member of the Jr. Orange Bowl Committee and is Secretary of the Merrick Festival. She serves on the board of directors of the Coral Gables Woman' Club as Publicity Chair and also coordinates the club's monthly fundraiser for various charities with Gringo Bingo at Clutch Burger. In addition, Gloria participates in numerous other charitable events and is a member of the Business Forum Group, Profit Inc., the Greater Miami Festival & Events Association and the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce. In other volunteer activity, Gloria helps Miami Christian School with fund-raising and PR; is an Ambassador and volunteers for events for A Safe Haven for Newborns. She is an active member of the Music Ministry at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church where she enjoys singing in the choir every weekend.