Celebrating spring and the newest fashions,
a crowd of more than 150 women gathered at
Frenchman’s Reserve during Easter Seals’
recent Tiptoe Through the Tulips…Stepping
Out in Style event. The ultimate
girls’ luncheon featured the must-have looks
of the season, gifts for pampering, girls’
getaways and much more- all to benefit
children with special needs and disabilities
at Easter Seals Igoe-Amar Child Development Center.
“The Tiptoe Through the Tulips
luncheon is a fashion lover’s dream,” said
Rhonda Clinton, executive director of Palm
Beach/Martin/St. Lucie Region of Easter
Seals Florida. “The incredible silent and
live auction items, secured by our
co-chairwomen Jennifer Hardiman and Karen
Holmes along with the committee, raised
critical funds to assist our therapies and
school readiness programs for children with
special needs – birth to age five. When
Easter Seals graduate, six-year-old Bella
Cavallo proudly spoke to the crowd about her
accomplishments that were made possible
through the care and services she received
at our Center, there wasn’t a dry eye in the
room. She has blossomed into a beautiful
little girl who now attends the Benjamin School and is a shining example of the
best work Easter Seals can do with our
students.”
Easter
Seals Igoe-Amar Child Development Center is the area’s only full-time center
for children of ALL abilities. Easter
Seals helps children with disabling
conditions due to birth, disease, accident
or injury through pediatric speech,
physical, occupational and behavioral
therapies made available in a preschool
setting. These services help prepare
children for success in school while
affording parents an opportunity to continue
their careers or education.
“I am so proud of how far Bella
has come,” said Kerry Cavallo, Bella’s
mother. “It was so nice to see so many
generous supporters at the luncheon who were
there to benefit the programs and services
Easter Seals offers that are very important
to many families just like ours. Bella was
born profoundly deaf and without a
vestibular system, which regulates her
body’s sense of balance. At Easter Seals,
she was able to learn coping mechanisms that
enabled her sit up, then stand and
eventually walk and run. Now we watch her
ride a bike and even ride a horse, just like
many little girls dream of doing.”
Emcee, Tania Rogers from WPTV
NewsChannel 5, had excited guests on their
feet bidding on live and silent auction
items. Showcasing the "Must Have Looks of
Spring," the fashion show was co-hosted by Saks Fifth Avenue, Palm Beach
Gardens and Palm Beach Illustrated.
Along with Hardiman and Holmes,
Tiptoe committee members included: Sandi
Berkenfeld, Karin Brush, Sherri Daniels, Ann
Kohlmeyer, Donna Lewis, Ildy Philbrook,
Jeanne Pritchard, Heidi Reuwer, Suzanne Ross
and Regina Thomson.
Sponsors included:
Saks Fifth Avenue,
Palm Beach Gardens
and Bliss
at the Platinum level; and
Gold level Weiss Capital Management, Inc.
and Maria J. Patullo, Esquire. At the
Silver level were Broad and Cassel; Miller's
Fine Decorative Hardware, Inc.; Carolyn
Spellman of IGE Solutions, Inc.; Palm Beach
Illustrated; Robert Given of CB Richard
Ellis; Sheila Mead of New Dawn Companies;
Tara W. Duhy of Lewis, Longman & Walker,
P.A.; and The Bainbridge Companies LLC.
Bronze level rounded out the Tiptoe sponsors
with Lorraine R. Bolton of Rogers Design
Group.