The Wellington Community Foundation is staging a special event on Friday, Nov. 11. In honor of Veterans Day, the foundation will host Red White & Blue Jeans: A Nostalgic Salute to Our Veterans at the Wanderers Club in Wellington.
A benefit for the foundation’s “Neighbor Helping Neighbor” efforts, the event will begin with a cocktail hour starting at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner and dancing until 10 p.m.
“We’re expecting a good turnout for veterans,” said Tom Wenham, chair of the foundation. “It’s a salute to our veterans and will have a veterans theme to it.”
The foundation’s board of directors — Wenham, Robbin Lee, Mickey Smith, Maria Becker, Ken Adams, Karen Cavanagh, Barry Manning, Jim Sackett and Maggie Zeller — is working together on the event.
Wenham, a Korean War veteran, stresses the importance of events such as Red White & Blue Jeans.
“I think it’s important to the veterans that are in the community, and to the community itself,” he said. “It speaks a lot about the community and that the veterans who live here are part of the community. I think it is a great event. I certainly look forward to it, and I think there will be a good turnout, and a good turnout of veterans.”
Veterans will be honored at the event, as well as veterans who are not there, specifically those designated as prisoners of war or missing in action.
The event couldn’t come at a better time, Smith said.
“We’re honoring veterans on Veterans Day,” he said. “It comes at a time right after a very hotly contested election. It’s time to come together as Americans, and put the election behind us and honor the veterans who have made our country special. I think it’s a special event because it’s really a hometown thing put on by the foundation, which is dedicated to Wellington.”
He expects Red White & Blue Jeans to be a fun and lively event.
“Even the name itself gives away the fact that this is going to be a fun event,” Smith said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun for a very good cause.”
Wenham suggests that attendees dress casually, in patriotic attire. However, long pants, rather than shorts, are requested.
Tickets are $85 per person, with two levels of sponsorship available. The “Pay It Forward” sponsorship is $500 and includes four tickets, while a table sponsorship is $1,000 and includes eight tickets. Advanced ticket purchases are preferable, but tickets will be available at the door.
For more information, call (561) 333-9843. Tickets can be purchased at 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 33, in the original Wellington Mall, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
To learn more about the organization, visit www.wellingtoncommunityfoundation.org.
