ON THE FLIP SIDE: A+E YEAR IN REVIEW: The A+E scene failed to disappoint in 2019. JUNIOR LEAGUE: Partygoers dance under the stars. 6
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2019
2019: BEST OF
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BLACK TIE REPORTER
File photos
Above: Kyle Lowder puts on a show for guests at Samantha’s Friends’ Mardi Gras Madness fundraiser July 21. Right: Megan Galati and Shelby Pierce bring the sweetness at The Benjamin Gilkey Fund for Innovative Pediatric Cancer Research’s Golden Ticket fundraiser Sept. 28. Below: Michael Saunders and Ron Burks dress up for CANDance: The 20th Anniversary on Oct. 5.
Renee Phinney sports a dress featuring storybooks that was custom-made for the evening of the Fairytale Ball on April 6 to benefit Children First.
t long last, 2019 has come to an end, and you certainly kept us busy. It has been a wild year full of departures, new arrivals, laughter, compassion and, most importantly, philanthropy. In this great game that is Sarasota’s philanthropy scene, you all played to win — and it shows. I can only speak for half the year (I started in June, still working through my first season), but the energy and compassion on display in Sarasota has been absolutely breathtaking. Plus, singers Seal and Kesha made their way to the Suncoast, and those are some pretty good gets. The Sarasota Ballet and Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation led off the year with each of their respective galas. The fall season started with the 20th anniversary of CAN Community Health’s CANDance, not to mention the return of The Ringling’s UnGala. The season concluded with a gala celebrating the long-awaited opening of the Sarasota Art Museum, an event that had everyone in town talking. But as anyone who has worked on these events or donated to them can tell you, there’s so much more going on beneath the surface. The work, care and passion that goes into each and every one of these functions and fundraisers shouldn’t be ignored. And it’s good for all of us to remember how many people are positively impacted by the philanthropic efforts here. We hope you’ve had an amazing year, and we look forward to doing this all again in 2020. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2