Feeding South Florida
Cause: Providing food for the region’s hungry and underprivileged
Event chairs: Maria Millares, Allen Susser, Terry Zarikian
Event: Come Together, January 12 at 7 pm, The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse; feedingsouthflorida.org

Educate Tomorrow
Cause: Providing access to scholarships and educational opportunities for the underprivileged
Honorary chairs: Jackie Nespral (host), John DuBois, Robert F. Hudson
Event: Educate Tomorrow I Love the ’80s Gala, January 14 at 7 pm, private bayfront estate, Miami; educatetomorrow.org

Miami Art Museum
Cause: Celebrating individual contributions of those who speak out on behalf of Miami-Dade’s abused, abandoned, and neglected children
Honorary chairs: Paul and Swanee DiMare
Event: Be a Voice Gala, January 14 at 7 pm, Mandarin Oriental, Miami; beavoice.org

Youngarts
Cause: Recognizing talent and showcasing the achievements of young artists in the community
Honorary chairs: Micky and Madeleine Arison, J.W. “Bill” and Donna Marriott
Event: An Affair of the Arts Performance and Gala, January 14 at 6:15 pm, Olympia Theater at the Gusman Center/JW Marriott Marquis Miami; youngarts.org

American Red Cross
Cause: Providing assistance to victims of catastrophes, and assisting in the prevention, preparation for, and response to major emergencies
Honorary chairs: David and Polly Ober, Betsy and Wally Turner
Event: 36th American Red Cross Designers’ Show House Preview Party, January 18 at 6 pm, The Mansion, West Palm Beach; redcross-pbc.org

Jewish Adoption and Foster Care Options
Cause: Fundraising to care for abused, neglected, and specialneeds children in the Jewish community
Event chair: Flora Aranson
Event: JAFCO Madness Under the Royal Palms Luncheon, January 19 at noon, St. Andrews Country Club, Boca Raton; jafco.org

Jackson Memorial Foundation
Cause: Serving as the primary private fundraising source for the Jackson Health System
Honorees: Norman Braman, Dr. Sanford and Beatrice Ziff, Hope of a Miracle Foundation of Trinidad & Tobago, Greenberg Traurig
Event: Golden Angels Gala—A Royal Ball, January 21 at 7 pm, JW Marriott Marquis Miami; jmf.org

American Red Cross
Cause: Providing assistance to victims of catastrophes, and assisting in the prevention, preparation for, and response to major emergencies
Chairs: Mary Ourisman (chairman), Susan Keenan and Mary Mochary (co-chairs)
Event: 55th annual International Red Cross Ball, January 28 at 7 pm, Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach; redcross-pbc.org

Food for the Poor
Cause: Investing in a brighter future for those in need of assistance and support
Honorary chairs: Arlette Gordon, Elizabeth Bowden
Event: Fine Wines and Hidden Treasures Gala, January 29 at 6:30 pm, The Breakers Palm Beach; foodforthepoor.org

Feeding South Florida
Cause: Providing food for the region’s hungry and underprivileged
Event chairs: Maria Millares, Allen Susser, Terry Zarikian
Event: Come Together, January 12 at 7 pm, The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse; feedingsouthflorida.org

Educate Tomorrow
Cause: Providing access to scholarships and educational opportunities for the underprivileged
Honorary chairs: Jackie Nespral (host), John DuBois, Robert F. Hudson
Event: Educate Tomorrow I Love the ’80s Gala, January 14 at 7 pm, private bayfront estate, Miami; educatetomorrow.org

Miami Art Museum
Cause: Celebrating individual contributions of those who speak out on behalf of Miami-Dade’s abused, abandoned, and neglected children
Honorary chairs: Paul and Swanee DiMare
Event: Be a Voice Gala, January 14 at 7 pm, Mandarin Oriental, Miami; beavoice.org

YoungArts
Cause: Recognizing talent and showcasing the achievements of young artists in the community
Honorary chairs: Micky and Madeleine Arison, J.W. “Bill” and Donna Marriott
Event: An Affair of the Arts Performance and Gala, January 14 at 6:15 pm, Olympia Theater at the Gusman Center/JW Marriott Marquis Miami; youngarts.org

American Red Cross
Cause: Providing assistance to victims of catastrophes, and assisting in the prevention, preparation for, and response to major emergencies
Honorary chairs: David and Polly Ober, Betsy and Wally Turner
Event: 36th American Red Cross Designers’ Show House Preview Party, January 18 at 6 pm, The Mansion, West Palm Beach; redcross-pbc.org

Jewish Adoption and Foster Care Options
Cause: Fundraising to care for abused, neglected, and special-needs children in the Jewish community Event chair: Flora Aranson
Event: JAFCO Madness Under the Royal Palms Luncheon, January 19 at noon, St. Andrews Country Club, Boca Raton; jafco.org

Jackson Memorial Foundation
Cause: Serving as the primary private fundraising source for the Jackson Health System
Honorees: Norman Braman, Dr. Sanford and Beatrice Ziff, Hope of a Miracle Foundation of Trinidad & Tobago, Greenberg Traurig
Event: Golden Angels Gala—A Royal Ball, January 21 at 7 pm, JW Marriott Marquis Miami; jmf.org

American Red Cross
Cause: Providing assistance to victims of catastrophes, and assisting in the prevention, preparation for, and response to major emergencies
Chairs: Mary Ourisman (chairman), Susan Keenan and Mary Mochary (co-chairs)
Event: 55th annual International Red Cross Ball, January 28 at 7 pm, Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach; redcross-pbc.org

Food for the Poor
Cause: Investing in a brighter future for those in need of assistance and support
Honorary chairs: Arlette Gordon, Elizabeth Bowden
Event: Fine Wines and Hidden Treasures Gala, January 29 at 6:30 pm, The Breakers Palm Beach; foodforthepoor.org

Luminaire and Intramuros 
Cause: Cancer research, treatment, and prevention through an online auction of DuPont Corian pieces
Owners: Nargis and Nasir Kassamali (owners of Luminaire)
Event: The Love Series and DesignLove, Thursday December 1 at 6 PM, Luminaire Lab; online auction, Monday November 21 through Saturday December 3 at 6 PM; designlove. luminaire.com

Fabretto Children's Foundation
Cause: Fundraising to help foster health, nutrition, and education programs for the impoverished children of Nicaragua
Cochairs: Carlos Osorio and Maria Isabel Marin
Event: Miami Nica Night, Friday December 2 at 6:30 PM, Nikki Beach; fabretto.org

The Multiple Sclerosis Foundation
Cause: Health and wellness resources to ensure the prosperity of people with multiple sclerosis
Guest of Honor: Ben Wade Thrower, MD
Event: Multiple Sclerosis Foundation Silver Anniversary Gala, Saturday December 3 at 6 PM, Marriott Hollywood Beach; msfocus.org

The Ring Art Center
Cause: An Art Basel Miami Beach project and artist trilogy benefiting Unicef, MOS AJ, Viva Rio, and FON DAM
Chief Curator: Sonia Taborda
Event: Time Is on My Side and Recycled Playground exhibition opening, Saturday December 3 at 6 PM, CASA (Design District); cocktail and benefit auction at 8 PM, The Webster

Miami Art Museum
Cause: Advancing and exhibiting art from the Atlantic Rim (the Americas, Africa, and Europe) with permanent collections and temporary exhibitions from the 20th and 21st centuries
Honorary Chairs: Darlene and Jorge M. Pérez
Event: 2011 Miami Art Museum Ball, Saturday December 3 at 7 PM, the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Glimmer Ballroom; Crash the Ball Afterparty at 10 PM, Glimmer Terrace; miamiartmuseum.org

Kiwanis Club of Little Havana
Cause: Scholarship opportunities and recreational activities designed to benefit the Hispanic population of Miami
Live performers: DJ Sama, DJ Tamara Sky, Spam Allstars, Tito Puente, Jr., and VJ Psyberpixie Chairs: Mario Hernandez-Fumero, Peter Isern, Carlos Morales, Ernesto Portuondo, and Guillermo Senmartin
Event: Christmas Gala 2011, Saturday December 3 at 8 PM, Miami Seaquarium; kiwanislittlehavana.com

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
Cause: Conserving the diversity of tropical plant life
Cochairs: Jane Battle and Susan Feldman
Event: 18th Annual Holiday Music at Fairchild, Sunday December 4 at 6 PM, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden; fairchildgarden.org

YWCA of Palm Beach County
Cause: Empowering women to become leaders, create better lives, and diminish racism
Guest speaker: Erin Brockovich
Event: Mary Rubloff YWCA Harmony House annual luncheon, “Winter Wonderland,” Monday December 5 at 10:30 AM, The Mar-a-Lago Club; ywca.org

Funding Arts Network
Cause: Support for the visual and performing arts of Miami-Dade County through member-supported grants
President: Terry Schechter
Event: The Sound of Chamber Music with the Amernet String Quartet, Tuesday December 6 at 11:30 AM, The Westin Colonnade, Coral Gables; fundingartsnetwork.org

Camillus House 
Cause: Providing free meals, medical care, drug treatment, and rehabilitation programs for the homeless of Miami-Dade County
Celebrity Emcee: Laurie Jennings
Event: 12th Annual Hope for All Gala: Guayaberas and Good Times, Saturday December 10 at 7 PM, Hilton Miami Downtown; camillushouse.org

American Red Cross
Cause: Crisis relief for the victims of disaster through physical and mental aid
Chairman: Bobby Leidy
Event: Red Cross Beach Bash, Thursday December 29 at 8 PM, The Beach Club (in Palm Beach); redcross-pbc.org

Million-dollar jam session: Cody Ray Slaughter (as Elvis Presley), Martin Kaye (Jerry Lee Lewis), Lee Ferris (Carl Perkins), and Derek Keeling (Johnny Cash)

Hip thrusts, a sneer, and a pompadour full of pomade might work for an Elvis Halloween costume, but it ain’t gonna cut it onstage. “To mimic the King is great and all, but you need to get inside his head and see where he was coming from,” says Cody Ray Slaughter, an actor from Harrison, Arkansas, who’s playing Presley in the new touring version of Million Dollar Quartet. The show, which premiered on Broadway just this past April, is now on the road and making a holiday stop at Miami’s Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, where it will play eight times from December 27 through New Year’s Day.

The Tony Award-nominated musical is based on an unlikely jam session 55 years ago that brought together Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis in Memphis. Writers Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux fashioned a play that is less about carving out perfect replicas than bringing the legends’ youthful spirit to the proceedings. “The way we’ve gotten to know each other, both on- and offstage, really allows us to convey that we’re just up there playing some great tunes,” says Lee Ferris, a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles who portrays Perkins, writer of “Blue Suede Shoes.” “That’s the essence of the show right there. It’s not about ‘acting.’ It’s about getting up there and jamming with friends.”

The musical features such well-known tunes as “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Hound Dog,” “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” and “Down by the Riverside.” But the show doesn’t try to re-create that fabled session as much as it pays tribute to the quartet through the music they made famous individually. Derek Keeling, a West Virginia native portraying Johnny Cash, boasts a résumé that includes “every ’50s musical there is,” including Grease. He says, “We do the songs as they were intentionally written, and we sing them the same way, in the same keys. Everything is as authentic as possible. And on top of it all, we’re playing the instruments.”

Each of the four men spent a good deal of time researching his role by watching videos, reading biographies, and learning about what his character was listening to in that era. But Martin Kaye, a pianist and songwriter who hails from Manchester, England, saw parallels between Jerry Lee Lewis’s histrionic piano persona and his own. “When I saw footage of him, I was totally like, Wow. This is me. I love this. This is exactly how I am onstage.”

Perhaps surprisingly, none of the actors feel intimidated by the reputations of the artists they’re portraying and the audience expectations that can create. They’re simply having too much fun. “I’m smiling at Johnny because he just did something amazing, or at Carl Perkins because he just shredded the guitar, or at Jerry Lee, and we’re all having the time of our lives,” Slaughter says. “And that’s awesome.” December 27 to January 1, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, 305-949-6722; arshtcenter.org

Diabetes Research Institute Foundation
Cause: The largest diabetes research center, committed to finding a cure for diabetes
Cochairs: Tammy and Steven Klein
Event: 13th annual Pleasures of the Palate, Sunday November 6 at 6:30 PM, The Forge; diabetesresearch.org

	Lauren Santo Domingo hosts Give to Colombia, Formula Smiles, Genesis Foundation, and ArtNexus Foundation

Foster Care Review
Cause: Support for more than 4,000 Miami-Dade children who are overseen by the Juvenile Court because of abuse or neglect at home
Executive director: Ana Maria Pozo
Event: Sixth annual Fundraising Luncheon, Monday November 7 at 11:15 AM, Joe’s Stone Crab; fostercarereview.org

Miami Lighthouse for the Blind
Cause: Serving the blind and visually debilitated community with rehabilitation, low-vision services, research, and technology education
Cochairs: Michael A. Silva and Lisa Pisciotta
Mistress of ceremonies: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Event: 80th Ruby Jubilee Anniversary Celebration, Saturday November 12 at 7 PM, Biltmore Hotel; miamilighthouse.com

Florida Grand Opera and the SaludArte Foundation
Cause: Artistic, educational, and social programs designed to promote the arts from Miami to Madrid
Leading role: Plácido Domingo
Event: Gala night performance of Luisa Fernanda with Plácido Domingo, Tuesday November 15 at 7 PM, Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami- Dade County; fgo.org

Common Threads
Cause: Nutritional education and cooking lessons for low-income children, to promote physical well-being and curb childhood obesity
Host: Michelle Bernstein and Bar Lab
Cochairs: Michele Benesch and Mariana Martinez
Event: Second annual World Festival Miami, Tuesday November 15 at 7 PM, The Cruz Building, Coconut Grove; commonthreads.org

Give to Colombia, Formula Smiles, Genesis Foundation, and ArtNexus Foundation
Cause: Four US-based nonprofit organizations highlight Colombian social issues and provide aid to local communities in need.
Chair: Lauren Santo Domingo
Event: BeLive: Fifth Year Anniversary, Thursday November 17 at 7 PM, The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach; belivecolombia.org

Best Buddies International
Cause: Friendship, employment, and leadership opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Honorary chairman: Brett Ratner
Event: The 15th annual Miami Gala: Viva Italia, Friday November 18 at 6:30 PM, Fontainebleau Miami Beach; bestbuddies.org

The Vizcayans
Cause: Fundraising efforts to preserve the history and future of Vizcaya Museum and Gardens through educational lectures, restoration projects, and private events
Cochairs: Nancy W. Batchelor, William Meyersohn, and Norma A. Quintero
Event: 55th annual Vizcayan Ball, Saturday November 19 at 7 PM, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens; vizcayans.org

Miami Book Fair International cofounder Mitchell Kaplan

Don’t go looking for the word “literarian” in your dictionary. The Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community may be the latest honorific bestowed on local bookstore owner Mitchell Kaplan by the National Book Foundation, complete with a celebrity-studded ceremony later this month in Manhattan. And it certainly sounds as if it’s charged with tongue-twisting gravitas. But with all apologies to fans of slang, literarian is technically a made-up term.

Still, have pity on the thesaurus-challenged folks at the Foundation. Most lit-minded folks have simply run out of previously unused hosannas for Kaplan’s work, and deservedly so: Miami may remain an intellectual punch-line for many outof- towners, but even the most critical still hold their tongues come November when the annual Miami Book Fair International— cofounded by Kaplan—unfolds.

MBFI is now the largest book festival in the country. This 28th edition launches on Sunday, November 13, continuing its tradition of hosting a sea of book vendors on the downtown campus of Miami-Dade College, while turning the school’s classrooms and auditoriums over to a who’s who of visiting authors. Locals won’t need much prompting to turn out for essayist Calvin Trillin (at least, if the spillover crowd for his last Coral Gables appearance is any guide); expect a full house to hear him read from his latest, the career-spanning Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin: Forty Years of Funny Stuff. Humorist T.M. Shine mines a similarly dry wit for Nothing Happens Until It Happens to You, drawing on his time at a Fort Lauderdale weekly newspaper—as well as the personal disarray that resulted when he was laid off.

Also in a hometown vein, Miami poet Emma Trelles reads from her new Tropicalia; novelist Ana Menéndez takes a playfully experimental approach to the Cuban-exile experience in Adios, Happy Homeland!; and the queen of crime thrillers, Edna Buchanan, sidesteps into the world of romance with her latest, A Dark and Lonely Place. For a full schedule of events, visit miamibookfair.com.

InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball

Bright Pink
Cause: Early detection and prevention of breast and ovarian cancer among young women
Founder and Executive Director: Lindsay Avner
Event: VIPINK Miami 2011 Cocktail Party, Thursday, October 6, at 7 PM, Soho Beach House; brightpink.org

His House Children’s Home
Cause: Home placement for children who have been neglected, abused or exposed to illegal drug use
Founder and Executive Director: Jean Caceres-Gonzalez
Event: His House Children’s Home Eighth Annual Hope Charity Gala, Saturday, October 8, at 7 PM, JW Marriott Marquis Miami; hhch.org

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
Cause: Women’s cancer research
Co-chairs: Jeff Peck, Alan Randolph, Kim Wood
Event: Key to the Cure Shopping Weekend Kick-Off Celebration, Wednesday, October 19, at 6 PM, Saks Fifth Avenue Bal Harbour

Chapman Partnership 
Cause: Providing food, shelter and assistance to the homeless of Miami-Dade County
Gala Chair: Brenda Nestor Castellano
Event: 10th Annual Chapman Partnership Gala, Saturday, October 22, at 7:30 PM, JW Marriott Marquis Miami; chapmanpartnership.org

Jackson Memorial Foundation
Cause: Neonatal intensive care unit at Holtz Children’s Hospital President, Guardian Angels: Silvia Rios Fortun
Event: 13th Annual Guardians of the Children Luncheon, Friday, October 28, at 11:15 AM, InterContinental Miami; jmf.org

Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation
Cause: Support for physicians, nurses, facilities and research at the only licensed specialty hospital in South Florida catering specifically to the needs of children
President and CEO: Lucy Morillo-Agnetti
Event: 2011 Diamond Ball: A Masquerade Affair, Saturday, October 29, at 7:30 PM, JW Marriott Marquis Miami; mchf.org

The Vizcayans
Cause: Protection, preservation and advancement of the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens as an accredited museum and National Historic Landmark
Executive Director: Lynn M. Summers
Event: The 25th Annual Halloween Sundowner, Saturday, October 29, at 8 PM, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens; vizcayans.org

Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida
Cause: Granting wishes to children with life-threatening medical illnesses to inspire hope and bring joy during difficult times
President and CEO: Norman Wedderburn
Event: 17th InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball, Saturday, November 5, at 7 PM, InterContinental Miami; sfla.wish.org

Although its origins have yet to be confirmed (the UK, Canada and the US still bicker over the bragging rights), the portmanteau has become about as common here as apple pie. Paradise Farms, famous for its charity-driven dinners with celebrity chefs, now makes brunch more organic, local and pastoral with the launch of its monthly “Brunch in Paradise” series, which begins with a Halloween-themed offering on October 30 and closes Mother’s Day (May 13, 2012). With chef Kira Volz of Broadwings Catering at the helm, expect homemade yogurt, egg strada with Malabar spinach, Hani’s goat cheese and myriad seasonal herbs and vegetables; and exotic local fruits blended with Schnebly Redland’s sparkling tropical fruit wine. The inaugural meal will incorporate homegrown pumpkin (we’re hoping for pumpkin-spice pancakes), but themes and menus will change seasonally. Organic ingredients, a comfortable Miami autumn and blossoming tropical landscape—how better to complement a relaxed midmorning meal?

More than $33 million: That’s how much Saks Fifth Avenue has raised in the 13 years since the retailer launched its Key to the Cure campaign for women’s cancer research and treatment programs across the US. A healthy portion of those funds comes from sales of a $35 T-shirt. This year’s version, arriving in stores October 1, features a design by Elie Tahari, a graphic depicting a heart adorned with keys, with Tahari’s quote, where there’s love, there’s life. Feel free to wait until Saks hosts the charity shopping weekend October 20 to 23 (at Bal Harbour Shops) to purchase, but we wouldn’t advise it; the shirt typically sells out quickly, and then you’ll only be wearing your heart on your sleeve.

The Fiat 500

Sit back, relax and catch a movie in the comfort of the new 2012 Fiat 500. The Italian automaker presents a fleet of the newly launched vehicles, along with a few classic films, to Miami Beach with its Simply More campaign. The weekend long Fiat fest begins in the afternoons (August 26–28; 2–8 PM) with local bands performing, bocce ball competitions and a Fiat food truck boasting Italian treats like espresso and gelato. Moviegoers can also feel the speed—and comfort—of the 2012 Fiat 500 with test drives offered throughout the day. As the sun goes down, move into any one of the fifty parked Fiat 500s (in all 14 colors) and catch a double feature of classic films and their remake (think Ocean’s Eleven, Romeo & Juliet and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). 1111 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach; fiat.com