Nothing beats be-bop and the Lindy Hop to snap off stress and twirl away anxiety.
Call it Dance Therapy, say organizers of Swingin' Away the Blues, a benefit for Mental Health America of Greater Tampa Bay. Board member/dancer/psychiatrist Phyllis Sirotta Feldman invited Swing Gang dance troupe to post the May 30 party on its Web site, and 450 dancers showed up to boogie to the Cigar City Big Band.
"It's our local version of a national event called Jammin' Away the Blues," said attorney Scott Barnett, executive director of Mental Health America's Tampa affiliate, who danced around Higgins Hall in top hat and tails.
Guests could take quick dance lessons in the library, munch popcorn and pretzels, and bid on a silent auction featuring MacDonald Training Center and Project Return artwork. Proceeds, more than $10,000, will be used to "educate and advocate," said Rick Wagner, president of MHA Tampa Bay.
It was nice to bump into David Shern, CEO of MHA in Washington, D.C., formerly dean of Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute at the University of South Florida.
Flip Flops & Lemon Drops
Lemon drop martinis and chair massages tickled the mostly moms crowd at Flip Flops & Lemon Drops, a ladies-only happy hour benefit for the 22q13 Deletion Foundation. The support group helps people who have Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, or a "22q13 deletion," which means they are missing part of their 22nd chromosome.
Six men were allowed into the Highland Park Lake House: four husband-bartenders and the rockin' male duo, Downtown Possum, "to keep us happy," joked organizer Susan Gordon.
Gordon hosted the lively May 16 evening in honor of her daughter Catie, 7, who was born with the condition.
Five restaurants donated to the buffet, and Shutterbooth didn't charge to snap pictures for fun photo strips. Confetti Events & Weddings decorated with flip flop-shaped cookie centerpieces from Kookie Krums. Dozens of businesses offered gifts for the silent auction and 70-plus raffle prizes.
Foundation president Sue Lomas came up from Venice for the party, which raised $5,000 for a biennial conference and $1,000 for Catie's beloved Horses for Handicapped program, which is facing drastic budget cuts.
Red Cross' Night in Havana
Guys in guayaberas and gals in tropical dresses strolled an avenue of auction items, sangrias in hand, into the Night in Havana gala hosted by the American Red Cross Tampa Bay chapter.
It was a new theme for their annual MASH Bash, where guests came to dine in hospital scrubs and Army fatigues. Saturday's fete won over 270 supporters at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, especially the Cuban menu of grilled flank steak with roasted yucca and plantain-crusted red snapper with black bean salsa.
Lydia Guzman of Bay News 9 Espanol emceed; Tropical Heat entertained with a handful of the Fabulous Rockers, including cardiac surgeon Dennis Pupello on piano. A cigarmaker rolled and sold on the terrace, with a per-stogie kickback to the Red Cross.
CEO Anna Trefethen, who is leaving soon to become southeast division vice president, introduced Attorney General Bill McCollum to share his Red Cross connection. He met his wife when she was a Red Cross military caseworker and he was in the Naval Reserve in Great Lakes, Ill. Their son Andrew is a captain in the Army.
Spotted in the crowd: All five of the chapter's life board members: Patte Ayala, Stephen Dickey, Sandra Brooks, Sally Hill and Bill Krusen. But two important people were greatly missed, Merci and Fred Karl, who were unable to attend and receive the 2009 Vaughn Humanitarian Award, named in honor of Ron Vaughn, president of the University of Tampa, and his late wife, Martha Vaughn, a longtime Red Cross Angel.
Heart Beat
Snowbirds are packing up, lovebirds are settling down and City Times seeks proposals of marriage and other special stories of love. Did your courtship take a quirky turn? Did your friends have a surprising twist to their walk down the aisle? Send me the key details, and you just might get me to say, "I do." Tampa residents only, please. E-mail scherzer@sptimes.com.
News
