It was an exceptionally elegant - and lucrative - evening for Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s trauma center, at the inaugural Hospital Gala held at the Ritz-Carlton.
A sold-out 675 guests enjoyed a reception prior to entering the simply yet stunningly decorated ballroom, where they were welcomed by co-chairs, Ariane Dart, Beverly and Bob Bartner and Jill Ramsey. Dart then introduced the hospital’s President and CEO David Verinder, who told guests that “Opening a trauma center was not an easy journey, but the need for the services was there.” The new level 2 trauma center opened in 2015, and while the expectation was that it would serve around 500 patients annually, in three short years it has already served more than 7,000 patients.
Following dinner, the need for and importance of a trauma unit was dramatically illustrated as guests were visually taken through the experience of John, victim of a severe traffic accident. After life-saving treatment that included a medically induced coma and more than 300 units of blood, John survived and appeared on stage with his wife, son and baby daughter. “Thank you first responders for being there when every minute, every second counted, and thank you to those in the trauma center. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here today, nor would my baby daughter.”
“The outcome for James would have been very different if our trauma center had not been available,” said SMH Chief Medical Officer Dr. James Fiorica. First responders and members of the trauma center team came center stage, receiving a loud and long standing ovation.
Auctioneer David Shaw led the paddle raise - which, with the help of a $250,000 matching grant - raised more than $800,000. As dessert was served, guests took to the dance floor as Donny Most took to the stage.

Muse Luncheon
From the depths of Herman Melville to Martin Luther King’s mountaintop, dancer/choreographer/artist Bill T. Jones took guests at the second annual Muse Luncheon on a journey through the creative process. The Luncheon, held at Michael’s on East, benefits the endowment fund of the Hermitage Artist Retreat on Manasota Key.
Guests were welcomed by Hermitage Board Chair and event chair Debbi Benedict, who introduced Executive Director Bruce Rodgers, who explained that the Hermitage invites mid-career creators in all disciplines to its historic buildings on Manasota Key where they create their work, be it a play, a symphony, an opera or some form of visual art. “We support individual artists who make the work of our time,” he said. “They come with the idea, we provide the room and together we nurture the passion.”
Rodgers then introduced Bill T. Jones, whose honors include the Kennedy Center Honors in 2010, a 1994 MacArthur “Genius” Award and the 2013 National Medal of the Arts, among many others. He is currently Artistic Director/Co-founder/Choreographer of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company and Artistic Director of New York Live Arts. His engaging talk focused on the creative process, and through the works and words of Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick”and Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, he brought guests full circle through the loneliness of the creative process, to the point of sharing it with like-minded individuals and finally - the world.
“Art making is participating in the world of ideas,” he said, adding that every artist must decide whether they believe that their art can change the world or is something more Earthbound. Indeed, the story of his own life - as a gay, HIV positive, black man and artist - was skillfully interwoven into the words of Melville (through the character of Pip) and King - up to the final words of King’s most famous speech, spoken together by Jones and the audience, “Free at last ... Free at last ... Great God almighty, we are free at last.”

Kretzmer Center Dedication
They were all there - the many arts and human service agencies which, over the years, have benefited from Ernie Kretzmer’s largess and philanthropy. The event was the dedication of the new Kretzmer Center at Aviva (toward which Kretzmer provided the $200,000 lead grant), sponsored by the Jewish Housing Council Foundation. The new multi-purpose room will be used for a variety of events, both for the residents of Aviva and the community, as well.
The more than 200 movers and shakers were welcomed to the new center by Vice President of Philanthropy Scott Anderson, who noted that Kretzmer embodies the Jewish concept of L’dor Va’Dor, handing things down from generation to generation. He noted that in his own life, the 94-year-old Kretzmer just welcomed his newest grand-daughter into the world, only a few hours before the event began. Following welcomes from CEO Jay Solomon and event co-chair Susie Benson-Steenbarger (the other co-chair Sheila Birnbaum was home recovering from a broken shoulder), guests enjoyed a performance by the Sarasota Orchestra’s string quartet. Following the performance, Board Chair Jill Levine led a series of speakers from the many organizations which Ernie has given to over the years. With Ernie and his son and daughter, Peter Kretzmer and Wendy Manto, seated on stage, those saluting Kretzmer included Hillary Steele, Larry Haspel, Veronica Brady, Elizabeth Power, Jennifer Rominiecki, Richard Russell, Arn Hoffman and Joe McKenna among others.

The Hospital Gala
1. Monica and David Verinder.
2. Donny Most and Ariane Dart.
3. Mason and Anne Ayres and Sally Schule.
4. Scott and Jill Ramsey, Beverly and Bob Bartner.
5. Julie and Phil Delaney.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROD MILLINGTON

Muse Luncheon
6. Bruce Rodgers, Bill T. Jones and Debbi Benedict.
7. Charlayne Hunter Gault and Barbara Edelin.
8. Kameron Hodgens, Michael Donald Edwards and Gerri Aaron.
9. Caryl Sheffield and Kim Cornetet.
10. Audrey Robbins and Beverly Bartner.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WENDY DEWHURST-CLARK

Kretzmer Center Dedication
11. Wendy Manto, Ernie Kretzmer and Peter Kretzmer.
12. Scott Anderson and Susie Steenbarger.
13. Lois Stulberg and Sherry Koski.
14. Debbie and Larry Haspel.
15. Jill Levine and Lauren Hersh.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROD MILLINGTON