Multi-award winning superstar Diana Ross to give a special performance & actress/filmmaker Gabrielle Anwar to return as celebrity emcee of Ball’s legendary live auction
MIAMI, Fla. – (August 2014) – On Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014, Make-A-Wish® Southern Florida and InterContinental® Miami will celebrate their highly anticipated 20th Annual InterContinental® Miami Make-A-Wish Ball as guests follow the yellow brick road to a magical “Oz”-themed celebration. Diana Ross, one of the most iconic female artists of all time, will perform and actress Gabrielle Anwar will return as Celebrity Auctioneer of the Ball, which is chaired by philanthropist Shareef Malnik. Celebrating its 20th year in 2014, the InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball has raised more than $14 million to grant the wishes of over 3,000 children from South Florida. The 2013 event raised a record amount with the net revenue topping $2 million. The $1 million donation by Al and Nancy Malnik in 2012 remains the single highest donation of record.
The star-studded Gala will host more than 900 VIPs, socialites, fashion mavens, celebrities and notable philanthropists with a common goal of raising funds for Make-A-Wish Southern Florida, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions, to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.
While there are many philanthropists involved, the enduring success of the InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball is largely due to the dedicated efforts of Shareef Malnik, Gala Chairman and proprietor of The Forge Restaurant and Wine Bar; Robert Hill, InterContinental Miami General Manager; and Norman Wedderburn, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish® Southern Florida – the trio affectionately known as the “Three Amigos.”
During the cocktail reception, guests will enjoy sumptuous culinary offerings and cocktails while bidding on more than 125 premier items at the Ball’s legendary silent auction, donated by top hospitality, entertainment, fashion and luxury brands.
Once the ballroom opens for dinner, actress and documentary film director Gabrielle Anwar will return for the fourth consecutive year as Celebrity MC of the Ball’s very lively live auction.The evening will close with a special performance by legendary award-winning entertainer Diana Ross. As lead singer of The Supremes in the ‘60s, Ross helped to shape the sound of popular music, changing the landscape and paving the way for contemporary hits. Her love of life, never-ending wonder, the appreciation of goals and achievements and sheer human spirit define the artist that is Diana Ross and continue to make her one of the most identifiable, unique, beloved and influential singers of successive pop generations.
The fun doesn’t stop there – the Ball’s annual after-party will be held at the InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Nightclub. Tickets can purchased at https://hotelballafterparty2014.eventbrite.com. Individual nightclub tickets cost $100.
Shareef Malnik, Chairman of the Ball for the tenth year, introduced the Chairman’s Society in 2011 as an operating cost endowment to cover all expenses associated with organizing and planning the InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball. Malnik has met his goal of enlisting 20 businesses, civic and philanthropic leaders – each pledging $25,000 per year for five consecutive years – to yield a total commitment of $500,000 annually, resulting in the granting of 100 additional wishes to Southern Florida children each year. Both he and Gabrielle Anwar are members of the Chairman’s Society.The other members include: Stuart Miller, The Lennar Foundation, Marshall Ames, Richard Polidori, Andrew Sasson, Chris Paciello, Todd & Kim Glaser, The Jordan Zimmerman Family Foundation, Geert-Jan & Joyce Bakker, Eddie Freedman, Jim & Sue Oppenheimer, Randy & Barbara Ann Frankel Foundation, Steven Tanger, Brett Rose & Jerry Gutierrez, The Genting Group, Mark & Robin Levinson, The Learning Experience/The Weissman Family, Braman Family Foundation, Wayne Boich, Eugene Frenkel, Armando Montelongo Companies, Inc. Please visit our website for more information on The Chairman’s Society: .
To reserve tables and tickets for the InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball,or for sponsorships, please visit www.makeawishball.com. InterContinental Miami is located at 100 Chopin Plaza, Miami, FL 33131.
ABOUT MAKE-A-WISH®:
The mission of Make-A-Wish® Southern Florida is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. In its 20-year history, the InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball has raised in excess of $14 million. With these much needed funds, the Foundation has been able to grant more than 3,000 wishes for deserving children in our community. Past VIP guests of the Ball have included Gabrielle Anwar, Paula Abdul, Sharon Stone, Kim Kardashian, Wayne Newton, Don King, Helio Castroneves, Robert Van Winkle, Christian Slater, Pamela Anderson, former Florida governor Scottie and Larsa Pippen, Russell Simmons, Venus and Serena Williams, Don King, Sex in the City’s Candace Bushnell, Marcus Schenkenberg, Pauly Shore, and performers Adam Lambert, Joan Jett, Macy Gray, Natalie Cole, Wyclef Jean, Bernadette Peters, Melanie Amaro, the late Nell Carter, Deborah Gibson, and The Honey Brothers, featuring Adrian Grenier.
ABOUT INTERCONTINENTAL® MIAMI:
Celebrating over 25 years as an icon of the Downtown Miami skyline, the InterContinental® Miami is located at the crossroads of Miami’s Business and Arts & Entertainment districts. A beacon for business and leisure travelers alike, the hotel rises 34 stories over the city with breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean, Biscayne Bay and the Port of Miami. The hotel features 641 luxury guest rooms, including 34 suites and two presidential suites designed by Venus William’s V Starr Interiors; 33 meeting rooms with over 101,000 square feet of meeting and exhibition space, including a spectacular Grand Ballroom; multiple food and beverage outlets – Toro Toro, ¡Ole!, Blue Water, Table 40 and the hotel’s interactive lobby lounge; full-service fitness center and spa at mySpa Miami; and rooftop pool deck with gardens. The InterContinental Miami is a proud corporate citizen of the Miami-Dade community, invested through its annual InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball, and its corporate social responsibility program. For more information or reservations, call 305-577-1000 or visit www.icmiamihotel.com.
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