Luncheon helps turn families’ lives around
For 23 years, Ann Davis and her husband have been foster parents to 129 babies through the Children’s Home Society of Florida.
The group’s 14th annual Helping Turn Lives Around Luncheon, staged at the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six in Fort Lauderdale, raised more than $130,000 to help Davis and 54 other foster homes in Broward.
“It was a great event, unbelievable speakers. … It ended up being a real successful day,” said Teri Lurie, event chairwoman.
“It’s our flagship event and our main fundraiser, and it was monumental in success,” said Ryon Coote, philanthropy director for Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
The group’s goal is to provide services that help break the cycles of abuse in families, heal the pain for traumatized children, guide teens to successfully transition into adulthood and create strong, loving families through adoption. The organization serves about 100,000 children and families, said Julie Schneider, executive director of the Intercoastal division, which serves Broward.
Davis, of Plantation, started fostering as a ministry project and to support her Christian values.
“By providing a bright beginning of life, they really can achieve all that their future has to offer,” she said. “… [Events are] important to share the importance of foster homes in our community. A lot of people say it is something they might like to do but never end up taking action. The children in our community are depending on families taking action. It’s important for me to share the impact action can have in local children’s lives.”
During the luncheon, Rosemarie Stiegele received the 2015 R. David and I. Lorraine Thomas Child Advocate of the Year Award for helping lead the charge on a $3.2 million campaign to build an emergency home for children.
The group’s next fundraiser will be a back-toschool drive in August in which donations of school supplies, backpacks and sneakers will be collected.
For more information, visit Chsfl.org.