Page 6 - Martin Downs Bulletin - March '24

Page 6, Martin Downs

Good Works from page 5 Commissioner Ed Ciampi
Cirque Du Soirée Kicks acted as auctioneer. His vivid
descriptions of the impact
Off House Of Hope’s 40th of House of Hope on the
community inspired guests
Anniversary to donate $35,000 in an
impromptu “Call to Hope.”
Cirque Du Soirée, a glamorous and enchanting celebration of “This was a very special
unique experiences and glorious artwork, kicked off the festive event for us,” said House of
2024 season on Jan. 20 to benefit House of Hope’s Project HOPE Hope CEO Rob Ranieri. “It
(Helping Others Progress through Empowerment). Nearly was a fantastic evening among
$150,000 was raised in support of the nonprofit’s work. friends and a great fundraiser
The sold-out event at Piper’s Landing Yacht & Country for House of Hope, but it also
Club in Palm City featured an exquisite gourmet dinner, a was the kickoff of our 40th
live auction with unique experiences, an intriguing array of anniversary.”
items in a silent auction, and the live band Soul Survivors During the auctions, guests
from Chase Music 2.0. had the opportunity to bid
on several items that are House of Hope CEO Rob Ranieri, center, is joined by members of the Pedersen Family
not only one-of-a-kind but Foundation, the Presenting Sponsor for Cirque Du Soirée 2024: Cory Pfister, Timothy Pfister,
also carry special emotional Stephen Pedersen, Kari Pedersen, Kenny Gould, and Jack Waldroup.
meaning. Local artists Deborah
Lovequist, Kiora Slate, Sue Ann Saleeby, Teagan Carregal and seven service locations, and a hydroponic production farm with
Stacy Ranieri each created a piece of art for the silent auction a packing house. It reaches more than 21,000 individuals each
that reflects their personal response to House of Hope’s work month and distributed 1.3 million pounds of food last year.
in the community. The live auction included a stunning piece of Sponsors of the second annual Cirque Du Soirée include
jewelry contributed by Martin County resident and jeweler Terry the Pedersen Family Foundation as the Presenting Sponsor,
Rieger of Diamonds by Terry. The white gold ring, created by Cleveland Clinic Martin Health, Michele Bragg, Three Lakes,
Terry herself, sparkled with more than two carats of gorgeous Ashley Capital, Immanuel Palm City - Stuart, O’Rourke
stones including emeralds and diamonds. Engineering & Planning, Hooks Construction, Treasure Coast
House of Hope was founded by compassionate members of Legal, d(K) Capital, Debra Duval with Water Pointe Realty
the community in 1984, including the remarkable couples David Group of Stuart Inc., HBKS Wealth Advisors, Jensen Beach
and Marni Abate and Robert and Toddie Neal, alongside retired Garden Club, Lucido Design, One Martin, ReMax of Stuart,
priest Father Jerome Herman, and Deacon Jack Raisch and his and Timothy and Maureen Cotter.
Brian and Maria Reich with Liz and Commissioner Ed wife Eleanor. Over four decades, a small nonprofit dedicated Pictures of the event are posted on House of Hope’s Facebook
Ciampi were among the 160 guests at House of Hope’s Cirque to feeding the hungry has expanded in size and broadened its page, www.Facebook.com/Hohmartin.
Du Soirée. Commissioner Ciampi, serving as auctioneer, mission, providing transformative programs to empower Martin To read the full history and understand more about House of
encouraged guests to donate a total of $35,000 in an County residents to overcome hunger and hardship. Hope’s impact in the community, visit the website www.
impromptu “Call for Hope.” House of Hope now has a staff of 48, with 864 volunteers, hohmartin.org or call (772) 286-4673 for a tour.

Eagle Scout Project Complete

To Benefit Mary’s Home Of
The Treasure Coast

Martin County resident Gabriel Paez recently
completed his Eagle Scout service project to benefit
Mary’s Home of the Treasure Coast. The project was a
redesign and construction of an interior office area. Gabe’s
project transformed an open space with freestanding
cubicles to two constructed rooms. One room will be a
staff office and the other room will be a closet to store
baby clothing, diapers and supplies. The project took

approximately 300 hours to
Tuesday, March 19 complete, and Gabe raised 100
percent of the funds needed
for supplies and led his fellow
scouts and friends, along with
parents and leaders to work on
the project.
Gabe is a junior and varsity wrestler at Martin County
High School, and a Life Scout in Troop 840 in Stuart.
He has been in scouts since he joined Pack 822 in Palm
City in the third grade. Gabe’s scout accomplishments
include four high adventure trips, with a fifth planned
this summer. Gabe has earned 33 merit badges, completed
National Youth Leadership Training, and held various
leadership positions in his troop. Gabe has camped 114
nights, hiked 231 miles, and volunteered 222 hours (this
project not yet included in that count).
Why Pay More To Sell? “I learned a lot from this project, and am thankful to
the staff at Mary’s Home of the Treasure Coast for this
opportunity,” Gabe says. He is excited to be close to
achieving his Eagle rank.

Even with 23 years of
experience, my fees
are still low

SELL YOUR HOME
Using the latest and most advanced
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Call Jim at

772-341-2941

Jim Weix, Broker Associate
309 SE Osceola St., Suite 204, Stuart
Good Works on page 7