It took the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation's special events department an entire year to plan, but on Sunday, the team executed their annual Kids Party for a Cure fund-raiser at the Hilton Miami Downtown hotel. "We wanted to get the kids involved this year," said Sheryl Sulkin, director of special events for the foundation. "As a matter of fact, most of the money that was raised for the event came from kids who took part in the cause. Seeing them smile makes it worth all the work."
To pull off the event's "Around the World" theme, Sulkin collaborated with Art of the Party to create a multicultural experience for an estimated 1,200 guests, with kids receiving passports to travel around the world. In the reception area, African drummers and live exotic animals, tables filled with boxes of animal crackers, airbrush tattoo artists, and entertainers provided by ABC Circus were everywhere. Additionally, stiltwalkers and magicians created a stir while parents perused the items up for bid in a silent auction.
Inside the ballroom, a large backdrop of the Eiffel Tower was set up on one end with several caterers and restaurants-including Chef David Schwadron Catering & Event Design, Donut Divas, and Perricone's Marketplace and Cafe-serving small bites to guests along with several tables draped in red-and-white-checkered linens, reminiscent of Parisian cafés.
In the Asian area there was a pagoda with red lighting, Chinese-style statues, geishas wandering about, and a sumo-wrestling ring for children. The corresponding cuisine included traditional fortune cookies with customized Diabetes Research Institute Foundation fortunes inside.
Other countries featured were Australia, Egypt, and the United States. Special performances by aerialists, fire-eaters, and acrobats were featured on a centralized stage, and a cross-cultural fusion of family-friendly music was mixed throughout the evening by DJ Irie.
