The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis closed down the Bal Harbour Shops on Friday—as it does for its biannual Destination Fashion fund-raiser—to host the official kickoff party for its Great Sports Legends Dinner in conjunction with Fashion's Night Out. The R.S.V.P.-required event brought more than 500 people to the upscale shopping plaza for a night of fashion, fund-raising, and boccie ball. The dinner will be held later this month at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York.
"Since the Buoniconti Fund is celebrating our 25th anniversary of the Great Sports Legends Dinner this year, we decided to bring a bit of sports to Bal Harbour and do a South Florida kickoff," said Stephanie Sayfie-Aagaard, director of major gifts, corporate relations, marketing, and events for the organization. "Anyone can play boccie ball, whether you're in a wheelchair, young, or young at heart."
Event producer Barton G., the man behind Destination Fashion's food and decor, outfitted the shops with custom-designed boccie ball courts on the first and second levels of the shopping center, where former Miami Dolphins Nat Moore and Dick Anderson, as well as local artist Romero Britto, played alongside event goers. In keeping with the active theme, food stations on the first floor served finger foods like mini hot dogs, hamburgers, and tater tots.
Top sponsors for the night included BocceNation.com, high-end car dealership the Collection, Tiffany & Company, and Maserati. All proceeds from the buy-it-now auction (an alternative to the traditional silent auction) and Bal Harbour's eco-friendly $20 garment bag sales, and a portion of the sales from Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent will go to the Buoniconti Fund. The fund is still tallying the amount of money raised.
