The Aqua Foundation Affair Set for September 20th

AquaAffair2014_Facebook-1The  Aqua Foundation for Women will celebrate its 10 Year Anniversary and this year’s Scholarship and Grant Recipients at their Annual Aqua Affair, on the rooftop of the beautiful Gale South Beach hotel at 1690 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139, on September 20, 2014, from 7 – 10 p.m.   Guests will enjoy complimentary savory cocktails, delectable bites and enjoy a live performance by local musician, Es Oh. A stellar silent auction will feature items from Olivia Travel, JetBlue Airways and several local events, hotels, eateries and more. Tickets are available at www.aquafoundation.org. Aqua Affair is made possible by Grey Goose, The Gale South Beach and Bucci Law Offices.

As for the Aqua Foundation history, it all began in 2014, when Alicia Apfel, Alison Burgos, Alyse Mcgowen, Cindy Brown, Elizabeth Schwartz, Martha Sternberg, Robin Schwartz and Vivian Lamadrid joined forces and   created what is now Aqua Foundation for Women, an organization dedicated to promoting the wellness and equality of lesbian, bisexual and transgender women in South Florida.  Then, as now, there were not enough women leaders in the LGBTQ community and Aqua gave  LBT women an opportunity to be more involved.

“I am so very proud of all Aqua has accomplished in 10 years” says Aqua Foundation for Women Executive Director, Robin Schwartz. “Since its inception, Aqua has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships and grants. We have fostered collaboration with others to increase impact including partnering with The Miami Foundation and Our Fund to raise $100,000 to support LGBTQ youth who are homeless, Schwartz adds.

The Aqua Foundation not only provides scholarships to twelve deserving LBT women each year, but also links them with an accomplished female mentor for the year during which there are given projects.  Programs Director, Kat Campbell notes, “While the financial support is vital, it is the mentor relationship that is incredibly meaningful and often life changing”,

Former Aqua Foundation Scholar, Mageda Abdulhad, adds, “Aqua Foundation has given me the opportunity to succeed in college which will, in turn, prepare me to become an activist for the LGBTQ community.”

After ten year, the Foundation shows no signs of slowing down and, in fact, is launching  its very first Emerging Leaders Conference, a series of workshops developed to motivate and teach LBT women leadership skills. Additionally, it continues to host TransCon, a conference for the transgender community as well as an LGBTQ Family BBQ.

 For more information or tickets to the Aqua Affair, call 305-576-2782 or visit www.aquafoundation.org


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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.