When more than 350 women gathered at the Pepin Hospitality complex on the last night in April, they knew they were in for a magical evening at the United Way of Tampa Bay’s fifth annual Art of Giving. They knew it was going to be "Freakin’ Fabulous!"
The reception area bustled with guests bidding on dozens of silent auction items, receiving hair care advice and buzzing about the star attraction – Clinton Kelly, host of TLC’s What Not to Wear.
Our Mistress of Ceremonies, Kia Malone, was immediately recognized by the crowd as the celebrity co-host of The Daily Buzz, the nationally syndicated morning news program out of Orlando. This was Kia’s second year as emcee for Art of Giving. She made sure that every attendee knew about the focus of the evening: Summer Care – the United Way program that provides free summer childcare tied to financial education to working families throughout Tampa Bay.
Over a delicious dinner with wine, the guests were treated to a fast-paced live auction, "The Power of the Purse, " with a dazzling array of items including travel to Argentina, San Francisco, Paris and the Isle of Capri.
The 2009 Women’s Leadership Steering Committee chair Denise Palmer and vice chair Tana Welch took a moment to focus on all of the kids that receive Summer Care assistance. Denise, publisher and president of the Tampa Tribune, spoke of the hundreds of low-income working parents that can keep working during the period when kids are out of school for summer vacation. Tana, district manager of the Western region for Publix Super Markets, added that each family also receives considerable financial education to strengthen their ability to manage their income.
To spotlight Summer Care, one lucky mom was given a fashion makeover. Sherry Leon-Bohannon, a single working mother of two, came on stage to show off her new "look" created by Clinton Kelly, with the assistance and support of Macy’s and Level 2 Salonspa. Sherry inspired the audience with her reflections on not just her new look, but her new life after Summer Care assistance.
The evening’s showcase was celebrity fashion guru Clinton Kelly. His stories and fashion tips had the ladies smiling. Many of the tips came straight from his current book, Freakin’ Fabulous and at the end of the evening dozens stood in line with the book to receive an autograph from Clinton.
The evening was a major success for United Way and Summer Care: the end result was more than $90,000 – translating into Summer Care childcare funding for 90 local kids!
United Way and the Women’s Leadership Committee thank Bank of America, our founding corporate sponsor. Without their leadership and commitment, this event would not be possible. Thanks also to Publix Super Markets Charities, The Tampa Tribune, Principal Financial Group, Activia, Kashi, Allegra Printing, and Pepin Distributing.
Macy’s and Level 2 Salonspa provided with fashion consulting, hair and appearance guidance in Ms. Bohannon’s makeover.
Special thanks to our auction partners: American Fundraising Auctions of Orlando, and Dennis Benda of Art A La Carte of Longwood.
