March 1, 2011 – Juno Beach, FL –Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s premiere fundraiser, the Fourth Annual Lights Out Gala, was held on February 25^th and raised $93,000 for the non-profit organization while celebrating the March 1^st start of sea turtle nesting season on Florida’s east coast. Named for the worldwide Lights Out campaign which urges people to adopt a lights out policy near the beach during nesting season, the evening served as an important reminder of the plight of the threatened and endangered sea turtles that Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) researches and rehabilitates throughout the year. Chaired by Susan Johnson and Beth Neuhoff, both of Jupiter, the gala honored Nathaniel and Alita Reed for their shared lifelong dedication to environmental conservation. Mr. Reed, who says marrying Alita was the best thing he ever did, surprised his wife and childhood neighbor with the honor that evening because she has always shied from recognition. The gala’s honorary chairs were Gordon and Patricia Gray of Jupiter.

Over 200 of the organization’s supporters dressed in Island Casual Chic attire entered the gala through LMC’s front doors, only to be enchanted by what came next. The inside immediately revealed aquariums active with sea life, setting the tone for the evening’s Under the Sea Soiree. With glasses of champagne in hand, guests were greeted next by a live mermaid posed on top of a shimmering palate.  Partygoers enjoyed cocktails and a Kettle One vodka luge in the center’s FPL Turtle Yard, while the beauty and delicacy of the center’s current sea turtle patients captivated onlookers. Guests also spoke with LMC biologists and toured through the center’s on-site Gordon & Patricia Gray Veterinary Hospital.

After cocktails, guests moved to a tent draped with aqua colored fabrics while dinner prepared by Bonefish Grill was served on tables decorated with tall marine-themed centerpieces. A brief program emceed by Tim Luke of HGTV’s “Cash in the Attic” followed. LMC President & C.O.O. David McClymont emphasized the center’s mission to promote conservation of Florida’s coastal ecosystems with a special focus on threatened and endangered sea turtles. Joining the center in this mission, clothing company vineyard vines® announced a LMC tie as the newest feature in the company’s Tied to a Cause Collection. Guests pledging additional minimum donations of $250.00 came home with the tie that evening. Shepherd Paul (“Shep”) Murray, co-founder of vineyard vines®, attended the gala to show his support. 

After the debut of the new tie, partygoers danced to the beat of a DJ. The gala’s ultimate raffle drawing was saved for last. Featuring a seven-day cruise to any worldwide destination by Regent Seven Seas Cruises; a $2,500 vineyard vines® shopping spree; and a $500 “Dining Around” package courtesy of Palm Beach Illustrated, the raffle served as a major fundraiser during the evening.  

            Corporations sponsoring the annual event included AW Property Co., Bonefish Grill, Fite Shavell & Associates, Florida Power & Light, Ketel One, Loggerhead Club and Marina, Palm Beach Illustrated, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Saks Fifth Avenue – Palm Beach Gardens, Swoozie’s, Tequesta Agency, Tiffany & Co. Palm Beach Gardens, and Vineyard Vines. Individual sponsors were Tom and Barbara Bascetta, Anja Burns, Robert Chlebek, Gordon and Patricia Gray, Ray and Tarry Graziotto, Lara and John Killgore, Brian and Alice Waxman, and the event’s co-chairs Susan Johnson and Beth Neuhoff.

Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC), a non-profit organization, is committed to the conservation of Florida’s coastal ecosystems through public education, research and rehabilitation with a focus on threatened and endangered sea turtles. The center features an on-site campus hospital, learning exhibits and aquariums. Situated on the world’s most important sea turtle nesting beach, Loggerhead Marinelife Center is open daily and plays host to over 200,000 visitors each year. For more information, visit www.marinelife.org or call 561-627-8280.

Nathaniel and Alita Reed are passionate about saving the precious Florida Everglades and dedicated to its restoration. Mr. Reed currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Everglades Foundation. He has served seven governors, he was Chairman of the Commission on Florida’s Environmental Future, and served as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks in the Nixon and Ford administrations. He is a former board member and vice chairman of the National Audubon Society and the Nature Conservancy, board member of the National Parks & Conservation Association, American Rivers, and serves as emeriti on the boards of the Natural Resources Defense Council and 1000 Friends of Florida, which he helped form. He has also served on the board of the National Geographic Society since 1988.

Mr. and Mrs. Reed have been advocates for the preservation and restoration of the Everglades on the local, state and national level. They have devoted their lives to environmental leadership and activism, often working in the field of policy and politics to protect ecological values of Florida and the United States. Mr. Reed’s love of nature and the outdoors began early in life. He was born in New York City and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut and Jupiter Island, Florida. In Florida his childhood years were spent fishing in the Indian River and exploring the coastal pinewoods, streams, estuaries and sand lakes. These experiences caused him to develop a deep-rooted appreciation for the area’s ecosystems, and an understanding of how they could be impacted by uncontrolled development.

Mr. Reed lifts the curtain on Jupiter Island with his new book, A Different Vision: The History of the Hobe Sound Company and the Jupiter Island Club, a picture-packed hardback that costs $106.50. The book traces island history from the early 1930s, when his parents Permelia Pryor Reed and Joseph Verner Reed formed a company with 33 residents to buy land in Hobe Sound and Jupiter Island, including a small inn, nine-hole golf course, beach club, dock and five cottages. Mr. Reed’s memoir chronicles growing up in a way of life that no longer exists.

Mr. Reed shared his passion for the environment with Alita Weaver, his childhood neighbor in Greenwich, who later became his wife. She was a driving force behind his work, often inspiring him to fight on behalf of the environment on days he was facing a tough battle. Her endless support was a motivating factor in much of the direction and accomplishments of his career.