On Saturday the 14th of March the MIR Foundation hosted their annual Magical Splendor for Life fashion show in La Palapa, in the Casa de Campo marina.

We are pleased to announce that the event was a HUGE success and more than $200,000 was raised, a sum far exceeding what MIR had hoped to make, which given today’s problematic economy is nothing short of miraculous and a testament to everyone’s generosity and of course the quality of the event.Money donated to the MIR foundation is used to provide an excellent education to over 700 children in the MIR foundation schools as well as top-class health care to over 9000 patients a year in the AIDS Clinic (Clinica de la Familia MIR). $200,000 is enough to provide more than 500 HIV-infected children with AIDS care for a year, or to providemore than 200 children with a years worth of formal schooling including uniforms and supplies.

Over 300 people attended this prestigious event, including Casa de Campo’s VIPs – the Fanjul family, Ivette & Eugenio Baittinier, Cecil and Rodrigo Vitienes, Matilde and Roberto Bonetti, JeronimoEsteve, Miguel Haded, Maria Elena Costa, Eduardo Martinez Lima and Rosa Grullon. The event included a dinner catered by the Beach Club by Le Cirque, an ESCADA fashion show, an after-dinner dance with a live Dominican band and an after-party hosted by DJ Carlos Sarli.

 

As part of the evening’s fund-raising events guests could ‘buy’ one of the mysterious Tiffany’s boxes. A donation of $300 afforded guests the opportunity to chose a number relating to one of the mysterious Tiffany’s boxes, which then translated into a prize – a piece of stunning Tiffany’s jewelry. Among the selection of jewelry available was a gorgeous Tiffany’s cuff and a Tiffany’s watch worth $2500. Gabriela Arriaza and her sister Michaela Arriaza de Felix as well as Meredith Duvall and Robin Anne Thompson helped to sell these boxes, selling in total 90 out of a possible 100. Which means the sale of these small, beautiful and surprisingly lucrative blue boxes brought the Fundacion MIR a profit of $27,000! Which is enough to provide one year’s worth of food, child care, and clothing for 27 orphans.

 

The Master of ceremonies, Celines Toribio looked stunning in a shocking scarlet red suit by ESCADA, and spoke passionately and sincerely about the wonderful work the Fundacion MIR does to help the lives of thousands of children and their families affected by AIDs. Celines is a native Dominican and making her mark in Hollywood as an actress, model, television and radio personality.In 2008 Celines’ was selected as one of the 50 most beautiful people by PEOPLE EN ESPAÑOL and recently finished filming Trópico de Sangre here in the Dominican Republic, where she stars opposite Michelle Rodriguez, who is famous for appearing opposite Vin Diesel in the film Fast & Furious. The film is to be released later this year.

Dinner was served during the fashion show, a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds! The dinner was exceptional, the food was creative and delicious, and accompanied by exquisite fine wines and champagne generously provided by Vinos S.A.. The ESCADA fashion show did not disappoint, on show were a beautiful array of luxuriously embroidered and exquisitely sculptured designs inspired by the varied cultures of Africa and Asia, featuring rich, bold patterns, colors, prints and jewelry adapted to suit ESCADA’s strong personal style.

 

The fashion show, the food, the wine, the champagne, the atmosphere were all so wonderful that before we knew it, it was all over and it was time for the AFTER PARTY! The After Party started with a wonderful Dominican band who played merengue, bachata and salsa music which brought nearly everyone to the dance floor to show off their dancing skills! Following the band, DJ Carlos Sarli took over and rocked the Palapa with a blend of funky, classic tunes mixed with the best of today’s trendy rhythms, keeping everyone dancing and enjoying the free bar until the early hours of the morning!

 

The organiser’s of the event, Fundacion MIR and most importantly the 700 children of the MIR school and the 9,000 patients of the MIR AID’s clinic would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to the following sponsor’s for all their kind donations which contributed to making the evening a HUGE success: Bacardi, Casa de Campo, Central Romana, Vargas Catering (who did an exceptional job putting everything together), Tropigas, Escada, Tiffanys, American Airlines, Machado Garcia Serra,Grupo Mejia Arcala, Proseguros, Progresso, CostaSur, CasaLife Magazine, Selecta Magazine and DJ Carlos Sarli.

If you would like to make a positive difference to the lives of the thousands of women and children supported by the MIR Foundation, then please make a donation today! To make a donation contact the MIR office in Casa deCampo (809-523-8270) or in West Palm Beach (561-366-5095) Donations are tax deductible for US Citizens!