On Friday, January 15, JustWorld International made the spirit of Rio do Carnaval come alive in Wellington, bringing more than 600 guests together to celebrate and raise funds for the extraordinary work JustWorld is doing around the world to support more than 6,000 children in Honduras, Guatemala, Cambodia and Colombia. Thanks to the generous support of sponsors and guests and through the success of both the live and silent auctions, the 2016 gala raised well over $450,000 for the children at JustWorld’s partner projects. The annual gala is JustWorld’s largest fundraiser each year, and it is those funds that allow the organization to continue its goal of funding local partners around the world helping children thrive through their support of education, health and hygiene, nutrition and cultural development.
During the 13th Annual JustWorld Gala, presented by Wellington Masters, the theme of Carnival do Rio was brought to life through delectable food, drinks and specialty entertainment created for the evening by renowned event planners, Dazzle Creative Events, and Regency Party Rental & Productions. Guests were offered a warm welcome as partner Florida Coast Equipment, Inc. provided shuttles to the entrance of the event, where a lively Brazilian band lured the guests into a brilliant tent that truly transformed host Belle Herbe Farm into a beautiful scene straight out of Rio.
Steven Wilde returned to emcee this year’s event along with Jonathan Duerr. Before turning over the floor to JustWorld founder and executive director, Jessica Newman, the two started the evening by introducing a video segment on JustWorld and the incredible growth and tremendous success of the organization , supporting more than 6,000 children this year alone. As Jessica Newman took the stage, she began by paying tribute to passionate rider and Ambassador Andres Rodriguez, with the Venezuelan team joining on stage. Jessica shared a beautifully moving tribute to Andres and highlighted his exemplary accomplishments. To honor his spirit of humanitarianism and to commemorate his life, Jessica presented the Andres Rodriguez Professional Ambassador Award to Kevin Staut of France and Juan Andres Rodrigues of Guatemala, who both truly embody the light and positive outreach that Andres shared with the world. Team Venezuela, represented by Alejandro Karolyi, Angel Karolyi, Pablo Barrios, Emanuel Andrade, Juan Ortiz, Luis Larrazabal and Victor Segovia were on stage to pay tribute to the Andres Rodriguez Award. Jessica also recognized fourteen outstanding individuals with “Leg Up” Awards that have gone above and beyond spreading the JustWorld core values and have demonstrated admirable efforts in giving children in impoverished communities a “leg up” to a brighter future. These amazing “Leg Up” Awards also included Sam Ephraimson, Nadja Rajan, Dylann Ephraimson, Steven Wilde, Cesar Hirsch and Equis Boutique, Joanne Weiner and Palm Beach International Academy, Henry and Maria Acevedo, Chris Pack, Steven Michael King, and Francisco Arredondo. The “Philanthropist of the Year” Award went to Mark Samuel and Kevin Sanford and the “Corporate Social Responsibility” Award went to Longines.