Press Releases 4TH ANNUAL TAKING CARE OF KID’S GRAND GALA “IS OUT OF THIS WORLD” CORAL GABLES – (October 2006) – On Saturday evening October 14th, more than 350 high-profile guests attended the CHARLEE Homes for Children’s 4th Annual “Taking Care of Kid’s” Grand Gala which celebrated the organization’s strong community impact on the foster care system in Dade County. The evening began with a cocktail reception and silent auction, followed by dinner and the award presentation for this years Berta Blecke Award to Rita Switchkow and this year’s “Taking Care of Kid’s Award to Paula and Bob Brockway of Bill Ussery Motor’s. The perfect evening was topped off by music from the Steve Chase Band which got everyone off their seats and onto the dance floor. The theme of the evening “To the world you may be one person, but to CHARLEE you are the world” was reiterated through the gorgeous center pieces which included real gum balls, fresh orchids, cut outs of children and blow up globes. “Taking Care of Kid’s’ Grand Gala was hosted by Local 10’s Kristi Krueger, is CHARLEE Homes for Children’s (CHARLEE) premiere fundraiser/gala. Proceeds from the event will benefit CHARLEE and help to continue to care for the over 1,000 children we raise currently. Through sponsorships, table sales, donations and auction items, CHARLEE raised more than $180,000 this year. Some of the auction items included H&H; jewelry, autographed sports memorabilia, a Royal Caribbean seven-day Caribbean cruise, Key Largo Anglers Club vacation getaway, art work by international star Romero Britto, artwork by local artists including Jose Chiu and Marci Grosso, among others. “Thanks to our major sponsors Dade Paper, Gallagher Financial Systems, Bill Ussery Motors, Creative Ideas Advertising, Downrite Engineering, Nancy and Rob Hector, Clint and Marti Flagg, Doug and Peggy Hudson, the March Family, Marian and Marc Milgram, Seitlin Property & Casualty, and all those who attended, we were able to raise the much needed funds to continue helping hundreds of children in our community,” said Mary Cagle, CEO of CHARLEE.. “Without the help of so many generous people we would not be able to continue to provide the proper care each child needs”. CHARLEE (Children Have All Rights: Legal, Educational, Emotional) is a private not-for-profit 501(c)(3) agency. CHARLEE provides care for severely abused and neglected children in the foster care system of Miami-Dade County. With the privatization of the child welfare system, CHARLEE doubled in size on August 3, 2026 and now cares for over 1,000 children. Each year, CHARLEE helps these children through a continuum of care including residential, therapeutic, adoption and full case management services. CHARLEE’s mission is provide therapeutic, residential, and supportive services to abused, abandoned, and neglected children within a safe environment in a community-based continuum of care. For more information on CHARLEE please call 305-779-9697 or visit us on the web at charleeprogram.org.