Fundraising Florida-style

By Ana Rodriguez Soto - The Archdiocese of Miami

MIAMI BEACH | Eating stone crabs at Joe's on a Sunday morning sounds like a pretty pleasant — not to say Floridian — way to raise money. And that is just what some South Florida Catholics and their friends did April 22.

The Cheers to Charity event brought 300 people — some with their whole families in tow — to the famed Joe's Stone Crabs in South Beach, in the process raising over $50,000 for the Archdiocese of Miami.

"It was open to anybody who wanted to buy a ticket," said Katie Blanco-Crocquet, president of the Archdiocese of Miami Development Corporation. "The best part about the event is people can bring their families."

Although other organizations also hold charitable events at Joe's, "We are the only ones that have an event called Cheers to Charity at Joe's," said Martha Velasquez, senior director of stewardship and special events for the archdiocese's Development Corporation.

"It's a way of celebrating while at the same time doing something for charity," said Velasquez, explaining how the development staff arrived at the name "Cheers to Charity."

This is the first time such an event has been tried by the archdiocese, and it may become an annual tradition, said Blanco-Crocquet. She added that she was especially grateful to the event's "Claw Sponsors":