FORT LAUDERDALE — Some of Broward’s top community and business leaders recently served as “celebrity waiters” and helped raise more than $70,000 at the 14th Annual Breakfast for Champions of the Homeless event hosted by the Broward Partnership and the Downtown Council of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce. More than 200 guests attended the breakfast at the Partnership’s Huizenga campus, where celebrity waiters dazzled with their table decorating and serving skills and competed to earn the most “tips” to benefit the men, women and children experiencing homelessness.

This year the “Pair That Cares” celebrity waiter teams included Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler; Commissioners Robert McKinzie, Bruce Roberts, Romney Rogers and Dean Trantalis; Broward County Commissioner Chip LaMarca and his wife Eileen; Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel and his wife Susan; and community leaders Jaye and Tony Abbate, David Armstrong, John Benz, Bob Birdsong, Darran Blake, Gale Butler, Keith Costello, Jim Ellis, Dr. Nabil El Sanadi, Gloria Fernandez, Calvin Glidewell, Kenneth Gordon, Jonathan Keith, Jean McIntyre, Dev Motwani, Ramola Motwani, Stephen K. Tilbrook and Michael D. Wild.

Waiters 2014During the breakfast, thePartnership presented the 2014 Champion of the Homeless Award to Brown & Brown Insurance of Florida in recognition of the company’s generous history of financial support and employee volunteerism. Company employees have contributed hundreds of volunteer hours serving hot and nutritious meals, and have conducted several donation drives to provide clothing and other essential items to help the individuals and families served by the Partnership.  The 2014 Special Recognition Award was presented to the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale for its exemplary record of volunteerism and service. The schools’ students and faculty have cooked and served food at a variety of Partnership fundraising events, including this year’s Breakfast of Champions for the Homeless, and the school has donated and served food on holidays to men, women and children experiencing homelessness served by the partnership.

Proceeds from the event will assist the partnership in operating the 230-bed Central Homeless Assistance Center on the Huizenga Campus, which serves more than 1,000 men, women and children experiencing homelessnesseach year. In addition to safe shelter and nutritious meals, the partnership offers wrap-around case management and comprehensive services, such as medical and dental care, behavioral health, workforce development, family therapy and others that assist the homeless in reacquiring health, housing and employment as quickly as possible. For more information, visit www.bphi.org.