College Park Rotary Club's Taste Of College Park 4-26-07

(see pictures below)

EATING, DRINKING, SCHMOOZING... ALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE!

The Rotary Club of College Park hosted the 4th annual Taste of College Park -- Food and Wine Festival, 6 p.m., Thursday, April 26, 2007 at Dubsdread Golf Club, 549 W. Par Street, Orlando.

The event showcased College Park's best neighborhood restaurants, including: Jade Bistro, Juliana's Fine Tuscan Cuisine, K Restaurant and Wine Bar, Gio's Restaurant & Bar, Publix, and The Tap Room at Dubsdread. The evening included wine pairings provided again this year by ABC Fine Wine & Spirits. Sponsors included Sutton and Sutton Realty.

¬Ý Proceeds from the event will benefit the Ronald McDonald Houses of Orlando, the PolioPlus Initiative and local schools. The goal is to raise more than $15,000 to help children and their families right here in College Park.

In previous years, the Rotary Club of College Park has raised more than $15,000 for the following beneficiaries:
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  * Ronald McDonald House of Orlando ’Äì The idea behind the Ronald McDonald House program is simple: Provide a "home away from home" for families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals.¬Ý It serves as a temporary residence near the medical facility where family members can sleep, eat, relax and find support from other families in similar situations.

 *The PolioPlus Initiative of Rotary International ’Äì PolioPlus is a program to immunize all the world's children against Polio. To date, the program has contributed $616 million to the protection of more than two billion children in 122 countries.

 *Rotary Club of College Park Local Projects ’Äì Each month, the Club honors one student from Lee Middle School, St. Charles Catholic School, Edgewater High School, and Bishop Moore High School. Along with the recognition as "Student of the Month," the students are presented a $50 gift to designate to a special in-school interest. The Club also provides annual scholarships to a graduating senior from both Edgewater and Bishop Moore High Schools. This amounts to more than $2500 in gifts that are given directly to College Park area students!

Additional funds also were distributed to the following organizations: Apopka Loaves and Fishes, Christian Service Center for Central Florida, Girl Scouts of Citrus Council, Greater Orlando Foodbank, Greyhound Pets of America, Jeppesan Visionquest, Lake Silver Elementary, Lighthouse Central Florida, Morningstar Fisherman, Mustard Seed, New Hope for Kids, Orlando Volleyball Academy, Perpetual Help Orphanage (Guayaquil, Ecuador), Princeton Elementary, Rob Grahm Foundation, Schnauzer Love Rescue, Shelter Boxes designated for refugees in the Middle East, and US Lacrosse.

¬Ý "For more than 15 years, the Rotary Club of College Park has been giving back to the community, locally and internationally," said Diane Glassman Kish, president, Rotary Club of College Park. "Our members nominate additional organizations to benefit from our fund-raising efforts... One hundred percent of profits raised benefit local students and charities both locally and internationally."

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Photos courtesy of Community Paper.