Haute Living sponsors All-Star Gala on South Beach.

By Cristina Ordoqui

On January 19th, Roy and Lea Black hosted the All-Star Gala, presented by Haute Living and Dewar’s 12. Entertainers, athletes, and socialites came to Miami from across the country to show their support for two good causes.

The gala, which took place at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach, raised $1 million; all proceeds were divided between Bay Point Schools and the AROD Family Foundation. Cynthia and Alex Rodriguez co-hosted the evening.

More than 500 guests enjoyed the red-carpet scene and an elegant cocktail hour, which included a silent auction, three-course dinner, and a live luxury lifestyle auction that included a Cannes Film Festival trip package and an array of sports packages, from a VIP trip to the Oscar de la Hoya fight in Las Vegas to a behind home plate ticket/meet-and-greet package to New York to see Alex Rodriguez. The evening also featured the annual Dewar’s 12 Poker Challenge, in which tournament winner, Sám Hertzbeg, was appointed a seat at the World Series of Poker.

Guests included R&B legend Patti LaBelle, who entertained the crowd with a live performance of some of her greatest hits. Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver lead singer Scott Weiland also performed a soulful set of songs. International superstar Pamela Anderson donated a $28,000 scholarship to the Bay Point Schools, as did basketball great Alonzo Mourning and his wife Tracy.

High-roller tables were reserved for the gala’s ultra-VIPs-those who had donated at least $10,000 to the charities. Greg Mirmelli, Tom Murphy, and Jeff Soffer hosted these tables. Seating in the VIP section had its perks including the best view of the stage, access to the Championship Poker Tournament, a private chef, and an autographed Alex Rodriguez baseball. These lucky few also enjoyed a live broadcast of the Felix Trinidad and Roy Jones Jr. fight. Most important of all were the good causes that inspired the fabulous evening-the Bay Point Schools and the AROD Family Foundation.

Founded in 1955, Bay Point Schools is a boarding school program with a goal to educate, train, and treat teenage boys who have been involved in criminal or anti-social behaviors. The program teaches responsibility, accountability, and respect, and has an outstanding success rate. More than 90 percent of Bay Point graduates never commit another crime, making it the best program of its kind in Florida.

The AROD Family Foundation supports health and education programs for children and families in distress. This year, the foundation made a $3.9 million donation to the University of Miami to cover the cost of remodeling the school’s baseball stadium and included scholarships for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami.