The 29th Lady in Red Gala Raises Over $1 Million

Ari Rifkin, Ronit JosephsonCarrie Bradburn/CAPEHART

Frank Orenstein, Gail Worth, Caroline Harless, Jim MurphyCarrie Bradburn/CAPEHART

Lois Pope, Paul Anka, Rita RudnerCarrie Bradburn/CAPEHART

Marti LaTour, George ElmoreJamie Phillips/CAPEHART

Robert Ganzert, Robin Ganzert, Jocelyn GanzertJamie Phillips/CAPEHART

Stephanie and Brian Ritter, Lois Pope, Ambassador David CornsteinJamie Phillips/CAPEHART

Tova Leidesdorf, Christine LynnCarrie Bradburn/CAPEHART

Walter and Mary Ann SchwenkCAPEHART

Southeast Florida’s “uber philanthropist” Lois Pope may not be NFL “uber quarterback” Tom Brady, but they have one thing in common:  They know how to win a “Super Bowl.”

Indeed, just as Brady has won seven NFL titles – six with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Pope has delivered an astounding 29 consecutive winning “Super Bowls” of philanthropy. The 29^th Annual Lady in Red Gala, hosted by Pope and LIFE (Leaders in Furthering Education) this past Sunday at The Breakers, Palm Beach, featured one “score” after another.  But unlike the football world’s championship game, in which there is only one winning team, there were quite a few winners at this year’s Lady in Red.

The completely-sold-out audience of more than 600 Palm Beach and Miami area civic and community leaders, philanthropists, and humanitarians were big winners because they were treated to a fabulous cocktail hour featuring the Palm Beach Symphony Orchestra performing the greatest Broadway show tunes in history, a scrumptious “surf-and-turf” meal, individual decadent chocolate, ice cream, and gold leaf accented dessert platters.

And that’s just the food! Guests danced to the wide-ranging repertoire of the Danny Beck Band, enjoyed a side-splitting laugh-out-loud comedy set from Las Vegas icon Rita Rudner, and listened to a truly unforgettable performance by legendary singer-songwriter Paul Anka, who capped his 45-minute set of hits by re-writing the words and singing one of his greatest songs, “My Way,” as a tribute to Pope.

Pope and all the attendees weren’t the only winners on the night.  The two biggest winning teams were the Palm Beach County Food Bank and American Humane. The gala raised more than $1 million for two initiatives that have long been beneficiaries of Pope’s and LIFE’s generosity.

Lois’ Food4Kids at the Food Bank, an endeavor that provides backpacks filled with health foods and nutritious meals to hungry children in the region when they are not in school – on weekends, vacations, holidays, and spring, summer, and winter breaks.

Along with it, Pups4Patriots gained benefits from this event, a multi-pronged program under the aegis of AH and its Lois Pope Center for Military Affairs, through which dogs are rescued, primarily from shelters, provided with about a year of specialized Certified Service Dog Training, and then given to veterans suffering from PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injuries.