A Bright Night
By Emily Walsh Parry
Black Tie Editor
NARSAD Florida?s 10th annual gala ?Sunshine from Darkness? on Monday, Jan. 8, at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall was certainly its brightest yet. Not only did this year?s gala raise $775,000 for its mother organization NARSAD ? The Mental Health Research Association, it also awarded one of its biggest supporters Virginia Toulmin with the Luminary Award. Toulmin, who has given NARSAD Florida $1 million to date, joins the ranks of Barbara Cook, Dr. John Forbes and Alicia Nash, Art Buchwald and Mike Wallace who have also received the extraordinary honor.
This year?s theme was ?Lighting the Path to the Cure? with Bob and Lee Peterson, Bob and Joyce Tate, Janice Peterson Radder and Mary Wallace leading the way as co-chairs. Following a cocktail reception and the Luminary Award presentation to Toulmin, guests entered an Egyptian-decoration tent (created by Anne Folsom Smith and her design team) for a gourmet dinner. Concluding with a performance of Aida, the 10th anniversary of NARSAD?s fundraiser was clearly a dazzling success.
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