June/July 2010
Cover story: Taste of HOME Brings Fun & Food for the Benefit of Children
Scheduled for June 13 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the University of Florida Hilton, Taste of HOME, an idea originally conceived by Scott Costello, the publisher of HOME: Living in the Heart of Florida, will benefit the Child Advocacy
Center, Children's Home Society of Florida and three charities designated by the Leadership Gainesville Class 35 - March of Dimes, Alachua County Public School Foundation and Girls to Young Ladies. The common theme in all the organizations is that all the funds raised will go to help the children of North Central
Florida.
Kim Mitrook, Leadership Gainesville Alumni Association's (LGAA) outgoing president, said that children are the right target audience for the Taste of HOME proceeds.
"LGAA always looks for education and children's projects,
Mitrook said. "In past years we have always supported child-
related organizations. Causes for children always present the
greatest need. They are the people in our community who
don't have a voice. Working with A Taste of HOME will help us
provide that voice. Every year, the graduating class of Leadership
Gainesville chooses an event to support. This year, LG 35 chose
to get on board with Taste of HOME to help make it a success.
Taste of HOME is the brainchild of HOME publisher Scott
Costello. The planning for this event began about three years ago
- around the same time HOME: Living in the Heart of Florida
was introduced.
"The concept of HOME was to create a publication that
could share the stories of individuals, businesses and non-
profits dedicated to improving our community and giving us the
reason why we call this area home,"This
event furthered the cause by allowing us to
focus on non-profits dedicated to helping
children in our community and improving
their opportunity for a good, positive life.
"In a perfect world, children live in safe,
nurturing environments,"Costello said. "But
ours is not a perfect world."
It is a harsh reality that child abuse
occurs all too frequently. The Child Advocacy
Center focuses on protecting abused children
and breaking the cycle of child abuse. The
funds the Child Advocacy Center will receive
from A Taste of HOME are a blessing, said
Margot Wilder, the agency’s development
coordinator.
"We had a fl ood in 2008 and had to move suddenly,"Wilder
said. "We now have to pay rent that was unanticipated. Funds
like this keep our doors open and our lights on, allowing us to
provide services to abused children in our community. Scott is a
member of our board, and that has been a gift. There has never
been a question about what he and the magazine can do for
us. It is exciting to be part of Taste of HOME because it is a new
project, and we are helping to get it off the ground."
Children’s Home Society of
Florida is one of the oldest private,
not-for-profit organizations in
the state, and the organization’s
Mid-Florida region covers 18 area
counties. The organization deals
with adoption services and abused
or neglected children. The funds that
Children’s Home Society of Florida
will receive were unexpected when
the agency prepared its current
budget and will go to much-needed
repairs in its facility.
"Our government contracts
do not pay for these repairs. They
only pay for direct services,"said
Jennifer Anchors, executive director
of the organization’s Mid-Florida
region. "These proceeds will be of
tremendous help to us. We work
closely with HOME. We are very
appreciative of Scott. He has always
been generous with us. It was an
honor to be selected as one of the
charities for Taste of HOME."
The other three charities – March of Dimes, Alachua County
Public School Foundation and Girls to Young Ladies – were
selected by Leadership Gainesville Class 35, which graduated in
May 2009. Leadership Gainesville is a year-
long community leadership program of the
Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce
designed to identify, educate and develop
leadership skills. The program’s principal
goal is to build a resource of community
leadership on a planned, continuing basis.
"This is their class project,"Mitrook
said. "The year after the class graduates
it always designates a project or charity to
support, and no matter which class it is,
the other classes all get involved. Since LG
35 chose A Taste of HOME and the class is
passionate about this project, the LGAA is
involved."
The event itself is expected to be
spectacular. With Cox Communications serving as title sponsor,
Keith Watson Productions producing and Shelley Meyer hosting,
it has to be fi rst class. Attendees will be able to sample cuisine
from the area’s fi nest restaurants. Of course, there will be a live
and silent auction with some outstanding prizes. And with the
June 13 date, it is just in time for one last great party before
summer travel.
"As a fundraiser, I can say it is always hard the fi rst year,"
Mitrook said. "But there is already so much community
involvement. Everywhere I go people are talking about A
Taste of HOME."
Cox Communications immediately jumped at the
opportunity to be the title sponsor.
"Cox understands the importance of giving back
to the communities we serve and is always looking for
opportunities to do so,"said Devon Chestnut, Cox’s public
affairs specialist. "Taste of HOME provides just that – the
opportunity to support charitable organizations that
are vital to the well-being of our community. The organizations benefi ting
from Taste of HOME provide children the essentials they need to grow up
into self-supporting and contributing members of society. We are not only
proud to support this event we are also honored to partner with other great
organizations, such as HOME magazine, who share a similar philosophy
regarding giving back to the community."
The owners of the participating restaurants also feel like this is a great
combination of fun and festivity for a great cause.
"We have a strong belief that helping support and change our community
is good business,"said June Allen, of Embers Wood Grill. "It’s part of our mission
as a restaurant. We appreciate that Taste of HOME gives us an opportunity to
do this."
Pete Zimek, from the Caffeine Bar at Ben & Jerry’s jumped at the
opportunity.
"We wanted to support a new fundraiser, and we saw this as something
that something that would help contribute to the Gainesville community for
decades to come, much like Andy Sherard’s class did with the O2B a Kid Again
event"Zimek said.
One of the other things that make this event special for the participants is
the group of people being brought together.
"This is not just the Children's Home Society of Florida's Auxiliary,"
Anchors said. "That group does a great job of putting on events and fundraisers
for our organization. But A Taste of HOME brings together a group of people
who have never been involved with us in the past."
Wilder says the group of participants is extraordinary.
"People are coming out of the woodwork,"she said. "The
involvement of Leadership Gainesville is signifi cant because that
means local business people are going into the community for
support. It is an impressive and diverse group of people."
Anchors said she is not surprised by the response.
"If we don’t take responsibility for these children, who will?"she
asked. "We have to be advocates for our children because they are the
future of our community."
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