If it’s sweltering outside oh-so-chill inside, it must be the annual Summer Happy Hour for the Duke Nelson Memorial Scholarship Foundation.
The fourth annual event took place Aug. 7 at Meat Market.
Maribel Alvarez, Carolina Buia and Francesca Jabbour were chairwomen for the evening, which included cocktails, creative hors d’oeuvres, music, and a silent auction offering restaurant gift certificates, Miami Heat VIP tickets, a customized Crisloid backgammon board, and a William Yeoward caviar serving dish donated by Mary Mahoney.
Robert Riva was chairman.
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The scholarship, awarded to Dreyfoos School of the Arts students, is named for Duke Nelson, a Dreyfoos graduate who died at 23 after being hit by a stray bullet while he was filming on a Fort Lauderdale street.
Dreyfoos student Siena Barefoot created a video featuring photos and quotes from some of Nelson’s friends that played on a continuous loop during the evening.
Riva spoke about Nelson being like his little brother. “Duke was my little brother’s best friend and a little brother to me. Duke had a gift for music and videography, but his real talent was in how he cared for others and brought people together. I wish we could have shared more moments, but I’m incredibly thankful for the time we had together,” Riva said.
Riva then introduced Ben Guy, who was a father figure to Nelson and who shared memories of his son Justin with Nelson.
“The sudden loss of such an exceptional young man so early in his life’s journey has been very difficult for all those who knew and loved Duke. We want to thank Maribel, Rob, and their friends for their relentless commitment and tireless efforts in support of the Duke Nelson Memorial Scholarship. Their wonderful work is a constant and much appreciated source of inspiration and comfort for us all,” Guy said.
More than 50 people attended, including Chris Snyder, CEO of the Dreyfoos School of the Arts Foundation, Darlene Dzuba, board chair of the Dreyfoos School of the Arts Foundation, Cheryl McKee, Angela Reynolds, Michelle Jaminet, Laurie Cornell, Frankie Labow, JR Labow, Sybil de Bourbon Parme, Elizabeth Fekkai, Alexis St. Clair, Cristina Marulanda, and Catherine Applegate.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Annual scholarship fundraiser brings cool crowd to Meat Market
