CFWL celebrated our 25^th anniversary of commitment to community, charity, caring and culture. Through the generosity of our members and sponsors, we raised over $148,000 this year in support of local charities and scholarships. Many of our members and supporters enjoyed a Grande Escape weekend at the Ritz Carlton, our 3rd annual Derby Gala at the Alfond Inn, and participating in our Taste of Windermere event held once again at The Pines. We provided a total of $108,000 in charitable grants to the following worthy charities: Harbor House of Central Florida, Primrose Center, A Gift for Music, Camaraderie Foundation, The Garden Theatre, and Quest Inc. / Life Concepts.  We also provided a $2,000 stipend to The Boys and Girls Club of South Lake County. This year’s compassion funding provided two $500 grants to benefit Blessings in a Backpack and Fern Creek Foundation. Eleven college scholarships totaling $33,000 were awarded to deserving college-bound young ladies, and one young man was awarded the George Fortier Memorial Scholarship. Our members organized and volunteered at service projects for each of last year’s selected charities.  Additionally, our members volunteered their time at Feeding Children Everywhere packaging meals for hungry children.  CFWL also volunteered a team to spend a day building a home for a hardworking family through Habitat for Humanity of Greater Orlando’s Women Build project.

The Central Florida Women’s League continued its tradition of raising money to serve local charities and scholarship recipients. Over $150,000 was raised this year by our members, sponsors, benefactors and friends of the league. We started the year with a new event ‘Dinners and More” that was a special treat for those who participated. We had a truly “Grande Escape” at the Ritz Carlton, Orlando. Another signature event was the “Taste of Windermere” at The Pines. This event was a huge success with the help of over 24 local restaurants and Tim Webber Catering. We finished the year with our “Derby Gala Party” at the Citrus Club. The deserving recipients this year are, The Florida Hospital Breast Cancer Fund, Apopka Family Learning Center, PALS providing Autism Links and Services, Grace Medical Center and Seniors First. We also awarded 10 scholarships to local area girls from Dr. Phillips High School, Olympia High School, Ocoee High School and West Orange High School.

This year was a milestone year for CFWL.  We exceeded awarded donations in the amount of $1,000,000 since the League was founded.  Our fundraising events, The Upscale Rummage Sale, the Fresh Market Wine Tasting, the 7th Annual Golf Tournament held at Grand Cypress, the Poinsettia Sale, and the gala, “Moroccan Mystique” at the Royal Pacific Resort were all major successes once again. We selected the following charities to receive grants:  Share the Care,  Gift for Teaching, Boys and Girls Club, and Mustard Seed.  Scholarships were awarded to seven local high school seniors and Jeanne Fortier presented the four-year George Fortier Scholarship to Anthony Morrison from West Orange High School.  The League raised money for Compassion Funding by decorating and selling miniature Christmas trees at the Holiday Luncheon.  Compassion Funding donations were presented to Anthony House, Children’s Home Society, and the American Red Cross.