Don't drain the swamp: Everglades Foundation event celebrates 30 years defending River of Grass
A concert by singer, songwriter and pianist Lionel Richie highlighted the annual Palm Beach dinner dance of the Everglades Foundation.
"ForEverglades Palm Beach" took place Feb. 19 at The Breakers.
More Palm Beach society news here.
Mike and Ashley Ramos were chairman and chairwoman for the event, which opened with the Everglades High School Legacy Chamber Choir’s mash-up of Avicii’s "Nights "and Billy Joel's "We Didn’t Start The Fire."
Joel and his wife Alexis were honorary chairman and chairwoman for the event and gave the choir a standing ovation.
The couple were recognized for their Hurricane Ian relief work through their Joel Foundation, which is providing long-term recovery assistance to residents in Lee County and throughout southwest Florida, with a special focus on helping the men and women who make their living on those waters.
The Joels, parents of two young daughters, announced a new gift to fund expansion of The Everglades Foundation's PreK-12 Everglades Literacy education program in Lee County.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Mary Joe Fernandez was emcee for the sold-out benefit, which marked the foundation's 30 years of defending the Everglades with a video tribute to the late George Barley, who co-founded the organization with Palm Beach resident Paul Tudor Jones.
The night continued with dinner, dessert and music curated by Savannah Buffett, whose father Jimmy Buffett is a board member of the Everglades Foundation.
Fernandez introduced Lionel Richie, who gave a shout-out to golf legend Jack Nicklaus before opening his set with his monster hit "Easy," then brought the crowd to its feet as he continued with "Brick House," "Stuck on You" and "All Night Long."
More than 600 people attended, including including the Foundation chairman Carlos de la Cruz Jr., Dani Moore, Jim and Sara McCann, Anne and Clay Rohrbach, Karin Luter, Cherie and Jim Flores, Karen and John Klopp, Jane Holzer, Felicia Taylor and Peter Gottsegen, Susanne Durst, Mario Gabelli and Regina Pitaro, Ande Phipps and Tucker Frederickson, Mish Tworkowski, Kay Lawson and Ken Tropin, Gary and Lisa Cohn, Nicole and David Tepper, Rusty and Ashley Holzer, Wally and Betsy Turner, and Francesca Bodini.
The event raised more than $4 million to support the Everglades Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring and protecting the Everglades through science, advocacy and education.
Since its founding in 1993, the foundation has become a respected and important advocate for the sustainability of one of the world’s most unique ecosystems.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach Society: Event celebrates 30 years defending River of Grass
