Near & Far Aid Gala Returns; Glamour, Fashion, Music & Dancing Raises Funds For Our Neighbors In Need
Near & Far Aid’s Gala, one of Westport's most elegant and exciting events returned home to Mitchell’s of Westport and was even better than ever.
Friday evening was the charity’s 27th annual spring fundraiser to raise critical funding for 2022-23 grants. This years colorful theme was “La Vie Est Belle” transporting guests to the Cote d’Azure. The glamour of Cannes, a jazz rendezvous in Monaco and dance the night away in St. Tropez. Dinner, cocktails, silent and live auction, fashion show, live jazz band, DJ and dancing. The energy and generosity from the vibrantly dressed crowd was in full force. This completely sold out event raised record breaking amounts from it’s meticulously curated Live and Silent Auction.
“We are truly grateful to our Host Committee and to the Mitchell’s Family for their commitment and partnership. A heartfelt thanks to our incredible chairwomen Liz Bechtold, Danielle Perdue and Elora Sweedler for their vision and dedication. And for our generous donors, corporate sponsors, volunteers and everyone who attended the event. The funds we raised will allow us to grant over $1 million to the 108 local Fairfield County agencies that rely on us year after year. Together, we are Targeting Poverty and Changing Lives”.
Missy Harmon and Karen Mitchell, Co-President’s Near & Far Aid. To Donate please click on the link: https://nearandfaraid.org/donate/
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com May not be reproduced without permission. Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Morning Weather Report
Today
A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly before 9am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. Northeast wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
Tonight
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. Northeast wind 11 to 13 mph.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 63. Northeast wind 13 to 16 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 44. Northeast wind 10 to 13 mph.
Staples Girls Tennis Domination Continues: Still Undefeated, 10-0
Staples Varsity Girls Tennis continued their winning streak on Thursday, May 5th against St. Joseph High School, 7-0. The team is undefeated with a match record of 10-0. Above, junior Karenna Birns lunges to return with her wicked forehand. Click on the images below to enlarge and open the galleries.
At first singles Amelia Galin easily defeated her opponent 6-0, 6-1. And so it went down the line up in straight sets, with Karenna Birns 6-1, 6-4, captain Allie Francis 6-0, 6-0 and Jenna Kornbluth 6-3, 6-1. In doubles, captain Jordana Latzman and Audrey Kercher easily won 6-1, 6-0, Lauren Hess and Sofia Palumbo, won in the hardest match of the day 4-6, 6-0 and tie break for the third set 11-9, and Giselle Oldani and Lucia Wang 6-2, 6-2.
The Staples Girls have won FCIAC and State championships for the last 3 years: 2018, 2019, and 2021 (2020 no season due to Covid). The only other FCIAC team which is undefeated right now is Darien.
The Staples-Darien matchup is currently on hold at 3 matches each (3-3) The second singles match, Karenna Birns, is up in the third set--she split set with her opponent but the match was postponed due to darkness. It will be completed this upcoming week.
The team celebrated their treasured seniors: Allie Francis, Jordana Latzman, Amelia Galin, Sofia Palumbo, Lauren Hess and Giselle Oldani for Senior Day. Coach Jena Wider said, "The seniors are incredibly talented, our roster is very deep and a lot of that has to do with this amazing group of girls. They will be missed more than they know."
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery. Copyright photos, use without permission prohibited.
Staples Seniors: Back (L-R): Sofia Palumbo, Amelia Galin, Lauren Hess, Giselle Oldani. Front (L-R) Captains Jordana Latzman and Allie Francis