SoFIA President and CEO Peter Kaldes, BB&T Vice President Maria Darquea and Lynn Brewer, Kaufman Rossin associate principal of entrepreneurial services and SoFIA Board Chair
The South Florida Institute on Aging (SoFIA) will host the Second Annual SoFIA Celebrates presented by BB&T on Friday, February 8 from 6 – 9 p.m. at the W Fort Lauderdale, 401 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.
“So much has happened in the past year since we announced our new mission,” said SoFIA President and CEO Peter Kaldes, Esq. “SoFIA’s think and act tank has drawn national attention and we delivered programs that directly impact thesocial and economic needs of area seniors. SoFIA Celebrates will turn the spotlight on others in the community who are doing so much to help empower people as they age.”
The Think Award presented by Kaufman Rossinwill be bestowed upon LGBTQ activist Scott Bennett. In addition to sitting on the board of SAGE USA, which focuses on advocacy and services for LGBTQ elders nationwide, Bennett is vice chair of Our Fund Foundation, the nation’s third largest LGBTQ community foundation, which focuses on improving the quality of life for South Florida’s LGBTQ community. He is also a member of the screening committee for OutShine Film Festival, the preeminent GLBTQ film festival in South Florida, and is an activist volunteer for Equality Florida.
The Act Award presented by Sunshine Health will honor Citrix, a Fort Lauderdale-based, global software company, who helped fund SoFIA’s inaugural program called Senior Planet. Citrix also provided Chrome books for the award-winning program which trains seniors to use technology to improve and enhance their social and civic engagement.
Broward Center for the Performing Arts President and CEO Kelley Shanley will receive the Thrive Award presented by AARP in recognition of the Center’s robust usher program which engages nearly 900 volunteers, the majority of whom are seniors, as well as the Center’s performing arts classes where they are demonstrating that our seniors have talent.
SoFIA’s valued volunteers also will be recognized for their service to the organization during the festive, rooftop cocktail reception which includes a silent auction and live musical entertainment.
Sponsors include W Fort Lauderdale, Sunshine Health, AARP, Kauffman Rossin and Pierson Grant Public Relations.
Tickets to the benefit are $90 and are available at TheSofia.org. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Diane Smith at 954.484.7117, dsmith@thesofia.org.
About SoFIA
A non-profit think and act tank, the South Florida Institute on Aging (SoFIA) creates planning and development strategies to deliver socio-economic support programs for South Florida seniors that can also serve as a model for other communities with aging populations. For more than 50 years, SoFIA has provided innovative services tailored to meet seniors’ caregiving and respite, civic engagement and economic security needs. In 2017, SoFIA’s 658 experienced senior volunteers provided 266,646 volunteer hours to serve nearly 4,800 residents including: veterans who received the mentoring of fellow veterans; seniors, disabled adults and caregivers who were enabled to live independently through caregiving and companionship programs; children in underserved communities that saw a 90 percent improvement in literacy skills through the Foster Grandparent program; and other non-profits that benefitted from experienced consultants. Visit www.theSoFIA.org for more information.
