Boca Raton, FL – February 16, 2019
– On Saturday, February 16, 2019, The Unicorn Children’s Foundation,
along with co-chairs Julissa Caballero and Phillip DiPonio, hosted its Unicorn
Ball: Get Down with Motown at the Polo Club of Boca Raton. The evening was a resounding success, and funds
raised will create cradle to career pathways to help people with autism,
attention deficit disorder and other special needs excel in their communities.
Haley Moss, a South Florida woman
who was admitted to the Florida Bar 21 years after she was diagnosed with
autism, was honored with the prestigious Occhigrossi Family Youth in Service
Award. “I am completely honored and very, very excited to keep spreading the
message and hoping to inspire and bring hope to Boca Raton and our surrounding
area,” Haley proclaimed. The award recognizes young people who are doing
exceptional work to increase acceptance, support and opportunities for
individuals challenged by special needs.
Guests were treated to a live
performance by Carlos De Antonis, America’s Got Talent contestant and
world-famed opera tenor. The event consisted of an exciting live auction
including 7th-row tickets for Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour in
Sunrise in March, and an exclusive Opera Chef Experience by Carlos himself. Another
exciting live auction item was a Marilyn Monroe print on brushed metal, worth
$25,000 by artist, Arthur J Williams. He was there at the event telling his
fascinating story of his journey of being one of the greatest counterfeiters of
modern history to now being a professional artist. During the After Party, a
live band performed all of the classic Motown hits, where everyone danced and
enjoyed delicious Motor City soul food.
A portion of the proceeds from
this event will benefit Unicorn’s very exciting new program: the Special Percs
CaféTM, a café that will provide vocational training and employment
options for young adults with special needs. Unicorn hopes to create a
path for these individuals to become more valued, accepted and included within
the community through meaningful employment options in a competitive
high-demand industry, as well as give their lives meaning and purpose one cup
at a time. Guests had the exclusive opportunity to take home a one-of-a-kind
Special Percs Café mug donated by FarFromBoring, and the FIRST bags of “Coffee
for a Cause” Unicorn Dream Makers Blend by Mammoth Coffee Roasting Co. If you
couldn’t attend the event but would like to donate towards the launch of
Special Percs CaféTM or purchase a bag of coffee, please visit UnicornChildrensFoundation.org/SpecialPercs.
A big THANK YOU to this year’s sponsors:
Gail Wasserman Family Foundation, Sunshine Health, Silvana & Barry
Halperin, Stanley & Marilyn Barry, Angela Fisher, Skyjet, Saks Fifth
Avenue, Wyndham Boca Raton, Club Managers Association of America- Florida
Chapter, Boca West Children’s Foundation, TD Bank, Gregory’s Fine Jewelry, Mammoth
Coffee Roasting Company, D3 Advertising, Motiv8, The Winebow Group, Palm Bay
International, Republic Distributing Company, Simply The Best Magazine, Toshiba
Business Solutions, The Happy Printer, FarFromBoring, Cakeballs Inc., and
Oceans234.
With 1 of every 6 children affected by some form of intellectual or
developmental disability, most of us have experienced the challenges first-hand
or know someone who has. There are a wide range of opportunities to be involved; to connect
and learn more about the Unicorn Children's Foundation please visit www.UnicornChildrensFoundation.org.
About the Unicorn Children’s Foundation
Unicorn
Children's Foundation is a non-profit organization providing education,
awareness and funding opportunities to organizations for special needs children
in an effort to help them excel in the community. For millions of special needs children with
developmental, communication and learning challenges, finding a cure is like
chasing a rainbow in that a cure remains elusive. The Unicorn Children’s
Foundation is expanding the collective special needs community to help
acknowledge, celebrate and integrate the special qualities possessed by
neurodiverse children with Autism, ADHD, Bipolar, Asperger’s, Dyslexia and
other learning disorders.
