Brooke Brindle, Jennifer Schirard, Lauren Schirard, Cathy Curley Impact 100 Indian River awarded five $100,000 grants to local nonprofits last week, continuing a model launched in 2009 under the influence of the late Ellie McCabe : one woman, one thousand dollars, one vote. The group has since awarded more than $7 million in grants to Indian River County organizations.   This year, grants were awarded to support the following projects:   Hibiscus Children’s Center : family c

Will Tripson and Bobbie Secor, Vice President of Vero Heritage Inc. | Photo credit: Chris Cronin Will Schlitt once set out to be a standup comic. It didn't stick. “I found out I wasn’t funny,” he said. “So I became an accountant, which is the next best thing.” The room, judging by the laughter, did not agree.   That was the tone of Deeply Rooted , the new annual spring event at the Heritage Center , where history felt loose and alive, but this time, squarely in the hands of

Anthony Guettler; Kate and Bill Freeman; Kathy and Todd Fennell There is a certain idea people have about John’s Island: elegant, self‑contained, a world apart.  Spend a little time with the Johns Island Community Service League , and another impression emerges; one of a community whose generosity travels far beyond its own fairways, impacting and shaping life across Indian River County in ways everyone feels, even if they don’t always see where it comes from. That instinct g

Lauren Michaels and Literacy Services of Indian River County Executive Director Valerie Kines On March 13 , Literacy Services of Indian River County held their annual Love of Literacy luncheon with nearly 180 people in attendance. One in three Indian River County residents struggles with basic literacy, which Literacy Services has been working to solve since 1971, on private funding alone, out of a donated office in the county library. This year's numbers were reason to cele

Vero in Bloom & The Hats in the Garden Luncheon at McKee Botanical Garden is arguably one of the most beautiful daytime events to take place every season.

Jeff Quattry, Baerbel O'Haire, Jane Smalley ELC board member and Windsor marketing director Jane Smalley invited us along to this year's annual gala, and I'm so glad she did. This year's theme: Mangroves, Moonlight & Milan. The rain forecast moved things indoors and away from the usual spot at the Thomas R. Schidel Pavilion , but the execution was so seamless you'd have assumed that was the plan all along. Guests arrived in linen suits as the sun set over the lagoon, lemon d

N early 300 guests filled the Windsor Beach Club on March 4 for the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County's 42nd annual Cause for Paws Gala , walking out having made it the most successful in the event's history, raising more than $800,000 after costs. Not a bad evening for the animals. Adoptable dogs and cats mingled with the crowd, stealing hearts with ease. If you were there, you know the cocktail hour demanded a certain amount of willpower. The money matt

On Saturday, March 7 , Mayor John Cotugno took the stage at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center with the easy authority of a man speaking for the whole City. In front of him sat the 2025 Fighting Indians football team, fresh off the greatest season in program history, as he presented them with the key to the city. The crowd of players, families, coaches, and a community that lives for Friday night lights, had just watched the season highlight reel: a 14–1 team

Tony Award‑winner Stephanie J. Block and Broadway leading man Sebastian Arcelus brought their celebrity shine to the Stark Stage last Monday, headlining Broadway Night at Riverside in an evening of songs and stories presented by the Friends Committee. Executive Friends  Cindy Rounsavall and Wheatie Gibb , with event co‑chairs Marcy DeWolfe and Paula Shorts, have given the Friends real strategic heft: their work underwrites not only evenings like Broadway Night, but a full

There are few better ways to spend a Valentine's Day in Indian River County than at Windsor , and this year's Charity Polo Cup made the case convincingly. Some 650 guests turned out for an afternoon of high-level polo, an elegant field side luncheon, a Porsche concours featuring more than 40 vehicles, and a tailgate competition that rewarded a spectacular display called "That's Amore" with top honors. When it was all over, the Windsor Charitable Foundation had raised $417,000