Tag Archives: donation

Media Alert- A Mother’s Day Story

Posted on May 6, 2009 by admin

mom necklace

Fort Myers — May 5, 2009
Mother’s Day Story

What: Mark Loren and the staff of Mark Loren Designs will donate a limited-edition, custom-designed, silver heart pendant “Mom” necklace in gift boxes to those who have been affected by foreclosure or unemployment so they can honor their mothers or wives.

When: Wednesday, May 6 through Friday, May 8 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. They will be available while supplies last.

Where: Loren and staff will open their store on 13351 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers, between Cypress Lake Drive and College Pkwy.

Why: To give back to the community that has been good to him and his business, to help those less fortunate and to honor mothers.

Who: Necklaces in Loren gift boxes will be made available to anyone who wants to honor their wife or mother and can provide identification, proof of foreclosure (a letter from the bank) or unemployment (proof of termination from employer).

More Info: See how the Mother’s Day Moments pendants were designed and interviews with Mark on http://www.marklorendesigns.com/.

For more information, please call 239-482-4664.
Contact: Interviews are available on site during the hours of giveaway.
Carolyn Rogers (239)278-3900 or cell 239-850-5020 or Carolyn@BriggsRogers.com

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Jeweler’s Heartfelt Design Makes Mother’s Day Special for Unemployed and Those Experiencing Foreclosure

Posted on April 27, 2009 by admin

mom necklace in box

(Fort Myers — April 27, 2009) – In a time when many local businesses and Southwest Florida citizens are suffering along with a down economy, a local custom jeweler is taking a stand to use this time to do good deeds for others in the community. Mark Loren and the staff of Mark Loren Designs want to help spread some love to those who have been affected by foreclosure or unemployment to honor their mothers with a free limited-edition, custom-designed heart pendant necklace.

The silver heart-shaped pendant, designed by Mark and his team, features an engraved “Mom” on a flowing ribbon across the contemporary heart-shaped pendant suspended from a silver chain.

Necklaces in Loren gift boxes will be made available to anyone who wants to honor their wife or mother and can provide identification, proof of foreclosure (a letter from the bank) or unemployment (proof of termination from employer). The retail value of the necklaces is valued over $100 each, but they cannot be purchased, they are only available to those who come into the store on a first come, first serve basis. Loren and staff will open their store on 13351 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers, to the prospective recipients for pick up on Wednesday, May 6 through Friday, May 8 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. They will be available while supplies last.

“We wanted something original and unique,” said Mark Loren, principal of Mark Loren Designs, in Fort Myers.

Loren learned about a California jeweler who did something similar for Valentine’s Day. While that jeweler gave away a piece of jewelry that was commercially produced , Mark said he wanted to put his special skills to use in designing something special.

“I think it says a lot about a community in how we treat one another and definitely in how we honor our mothers,” said Loren. “We wanted this piece of jewelry to come from our hearts.”

Mark Loren Designs is a jeweler and has been offering custom designed jewelry, repairs and recreations of sentimental heirlooms for 25 years in Southwest Florida. His efforts have earned high praise by leaders in the jewelry industry. Loren was named one of 39 of the world’s top jewelry artists in the recently published book, Gemstones Masters: Major Works by Leading Artists. The artists in this juried collection were selected by jewelry curator, designer and president of the American Jewelry Design Council, Alan Revere.

His other recognitions include the International Spectrum Design awards, bestowed by the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA), are considered the “Oscars” of the jewelry-design industry—and Loren and his design team have won several over the years for “outstanding jewelry design incorporated colored gemstones.” They’ve earned two AGTA Manufacturing Honors, awarded for combining elegant use of natural colored gemstones with techniques that can be used by mainstream manufacturers. They’ve also taken home two Platinum Honors prizes and won the International Pearl Design contest.

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SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINE & FOOD FEST NETS MORE THAN $750,000, $550,000 OF WHICH RAISED FROM AUCTION

Posted on March 2, 2009 by admin

wine

 

(March 2, 2009 — Fort Myers, Fla.) – Local children in Southwest Florida will benefit from more than $750,000 (net, after expenses) raised during the 2009 Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest, which concluded Saturday. More than $550,000 of that total came from the event’s auction, held as part of a Grand Tasting and Auction at Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club.”We were concerned going in,” said Steve Machiz, M.D., Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest founding chairman. “But we had the right items up for auction and, more importantly, the right people among our patrons, bidding generously.”Professional Auctioneer Scott Robertson, of Cushman and Wakefield Commercial Real Estate Brokers, and Voiceover Artist Randy Thomas guided several hundred attendees through Saturday’s bidding and festivities.

Along with the auction, 14 local chefs joined 16 wineries and distributors in the event’s Grand Tasting of wine and food.”People who attended our tasting and auction were definitely in the spirit of stepping up and doing the right thing,” said Auctioneer Scott Robertson. “The people there were as extraordinary as the items up for bid.”A telling point of the evening was an auction item that would fund purchase of an incubator for the Neonatal Unit at The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida, valued at $45,000. Multiple bidders pledged their support, and the item raised more than $150,000 to purchase not one, but three of the highly specialized pieces of equipment.

Northern Trust Bank was the main sponsor of the 2009 Wine & Food fest. Along with Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club, other supporters of the event included Lee Memorial Health System Foundation, Grandeur Magazine, Saks Fifth Avenue, Specialty Risk Management and Private Client Insurance Services, Oswald Trippe, Pure High Net Wealth Insurance, Edison State College, Bank of Florida, Norman Love Confections, Angelina’s Ristorante, Palm Printing and Strategic Solutions.The Wine & Food Fest Grand Tasting and Auction was held in the Beach Clubhouse at Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club and its outdoor waterfront venue.

The Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest is a signature event of the SWFL Children’s Charities, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides funding to local charities serving local children. This year’s funding will benefit the Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and the Pediatric Nursing program at Edison State College.For more information and more photos of the Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest, or to watch for information about the 2010 event:http://www.swflwinefest.org/ or 239-432-9722.

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AREA CHEFS AND RESTAURANTS NAMED FOR SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINE & FOOD FEST, FEBRUARY 27 AND 28

Posted on February 2, 2009 by admin

 

SWFL-Wine--Food-Fest-logo

(Fort Myers, FL – February 2, 2009) –The Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest has announced its lineup of restaurants and chefs participating in the upcoming weekend event to be held on Friday and Saturday, February 27 and 28, 2009. The chefs will join 16 wineries and wine distributors in the event, which features Chef Vintner dinners at select homes on Friday evening, February 27, and, for the public, a Grand Tasting and Auction on Saturday afternoon, February 28 at Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club. The Wine & Food fest benefits children’s charities.”The pairing of wine and food is an important culinary concept and is the cornerstone of the Wine & Food Fest,” said Steve Machiz, M.D., Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest founding chairman. “We are thrilled by the caliber of our chefs and restaurants, the diversity of their culinary styles and their interest in serving the community.”Visiting chefs Keegan Gerhard and Xavier Salomon join the event this year.

Chef Gerhard was named one of the nation’s top 10 pastry chefs of 2002 and 2004 by both Chocolatier and Pastry Art & Design magazines and can be seen on TV as emcee and host of the live Food Network Challenge Series for the Food Network. Chef Salomon is from the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay near San Francisco. Gerhard will join Norman Love of Norman Love Confections at the Grand Tasting and Auction’s dessert station on Saturday. Both Gerhard and Salomon will be preparing as part of the Chef Vintner dinners on Friday.From Fort Myers and the beaches, chefs Norman Love from Norman Love Confections, Michael Ragusa from the Sandy Butler, Jayson Rydell from Flipper’s on the Bay/Lovers Key Resort, Todd Johnson from Artisan Bread Company, Richie Wilim and Josh Zeman from Cru and Shannon Yates from Bacchus will be featured in the Grand Tasting and Auction on Saturday.

Wilim, Zeman and Yates join chefs Harold Balink from H2, Sean Boller from Sanibel Steakhouse, Gloria Cabral-Jordan from La Trattoria Napoli and Melissa Talmage from Sweet Melissa’s in preparing Chef Vintner dinners on Friday.From Bonita Springs and Estero, chefs Nick Costanzo from Angelina’s Ristorante, Caroline Hostettler from 55 degrees, Jeffrey Lucas from Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Vincent Mazzoli from The Grape, Andreas Singer from the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point and Thomas Pedit from Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club will be featured in the Grand Tasting and Auction on Saturday. Pedit will join chefs Nick Costanzo from Angelina’s Ristorante, Danny Mellman from Danny Mellman Catering, Kristina San Fillipo from Robb & Stucky Culinary and Wade Lowe from Roy’s in preparing Chef Vintner dinners on Friday.From Naples, American Culinary Foundation member/chefs Frank Setera, Ralph Serraco, Wilhelm Gahabka and Chris Jones will participate in the Grand Tasting and Auction on Saturday. Chefs Brian Roland from M Waterfront Grille and Derin Moore from the Ritz Carlton Naples Beach Resort will be preparing Chef Vintner dinners on Friday.

Northern Trust Bank is the main sponsor of the 2009 Wine & Food fest. Along with Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club, other supporters of the event include Lee Memorial Health System Foundation, Grandeur Magazine, Saks Fifth Avenue, Specialty Risk Management and Private Client Insurance Services, Oswald Trippe, Pure High Net Wealth Insurance, Edison State College, Bank of Florida, Norman Love Confections, Angelina’s Ristorante, Palm Printing and Strategic Solutions.The Wine & Food Fest Grand Tasting and Auction will be held in the Beach Clubhouse at Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club and its outdoor waterfront venue.

Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club is a residential waterfront resort community with over 700 acres of contiguous aquamarine freshwater lakes, three miles of private, white sandy beach and “Signature” championship golf. Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club is located in Miromar Lakes, just north of Naples.The Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest is a signature event of the SWFL Children’s Charities, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides funding to local charities serving local children. The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida is this year’s beneficiary and secondary charity is Edison State College’s pediatric nursing program.For more information about Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest: http://www.swflwinefest.org/ or information on sponsorship or ticket sales, call 239-432-9722.

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