Coordinating the Impact 100 event are (l-r ) Nick Gold, PR director for Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa; Cindy Racco, general manager of Eau; Karen Rogers, event co-chairwoman; Helen Ballerano, co-president of Impact 100 Palm Beach County; Catherine Warren, spa director; Hilary Sullivan, event co-chairwoman; Karen Sweetapple, co-president of Impact 100; Portia Smith, Boca Raton Magazine; and Mark Klein, director of special events and catering. Photo provided by Tida Sroivattana
By Amy Woods
Impact 100 Palm Beach County, a nonprofit that awards $100,000 grants to local charities in order to effect maximum change, wants to boost its membership. As a way to attract area women to join the cause, the organization is offering a free night of pampering and partying in the poshest of places.
Eau Spa in Manalapan, part of the oceanfront luxury resort, will be the scene of “Bubbles & Bites,” a festive and fun reception for current and future philanthropists.
“We try and have a few events a year to have the members be able to meet and greet each other and get to know each other better,” Co-Chairwoman Karen Rogers said. “But it’s also a bring-a-friend-out event.”
Set for Jan. 10, the evening will feature flowing champagne, abundant hors d’oeuvres and swag bags filled with spa samplers — products used at Eau Spa — that every attendee will get to take home. Boutique vendors will be on hand selling specialty items, and spa “fairies” will circulate through the crowd to ensure everyone is having a good time.
“It’s an evening of women getting together and having cocktails and relaxing and also sharing their thoughts,” Rogers said.
Grant recipients will give updates on how their Impact 100 Palm Beach County dollars have helped the community, and representatives of the group will explain how its guiding principle, “One Woman, One Meeting, One Vote,” affects the lives of the less fortunate. Members agree to donate $1,000 apiece and participate in a forum at which they decide where their proceeds will go.
In 2015-16, 532 members donated a collective $532,000 that was distributed to five primary beneficiaries and a handful of others.
“I really had not understood before the depth of the need in this community,” Co-Chairwoman Hilary Sullivan said. “I went to one of their presentations and decided it definitely was something I wanted to get involved with. I saw the difference that they were making, and I was really blown away.”
If You Go
What: Bubbles & Bites
When: 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 10
Where: Eau Spa, 100 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan
Cost: Free
Information: Call 336-4623 or visit impact100pbc.org
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