{"id":935,"date":"2025-10-14T00:53:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T00:53:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/935\/"},"modified":"2025-10-14T00:53:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T00:53:10","slug":"intercontinental-miami-make-a-wish-ball-celebrates-30-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/935\/","title":{"rendered":"InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball Celebrates 30 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"

The InterContinental\u00ae Miami Make-A-Wish\u00ae Ball<\/a> will mark a remarkable milestone this fall on November 1 with 30 years of philanthropy and life-changing wishes. Since its inception, the event has raised more than $47 million for Make-A-Wish\u00ae Southern Florida<\/a>, granting more than 8,700 wishes to children facing critical illnesses.<\/p>\n

\"\"Shareef Malnik and Gabrielle Anwar<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: Manny Hernandez<\/p>\n

Widely regarded as the start of Miami\u2019s charity season, the Ball is being chaired for the 20th year by philanthropist Shareef Malnik, Chairman Emeritus of Make-A-Wish Southern Florida, alongside his wife, actress and filmmaker Gabrielle Anwar, who returns as Co-Chair. The couple\u2019s passion, elegance, and leadership have elevated the gala into one of the region\u2019s most prestigious annual events.<\/p>\n

\"\" Norman Wedderburn, Shareef M. Malnik, and Glenn Sampert<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: Manny Hernandez<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s theme, \u201cCleopatra,\u201d will be an opulent homage to Hollywood\u2019s golden age. Under the creative direction of Maxwell Blandford, guests will be transported to the cinematic glamour of the 1920s with a lavish spectacle reimagining the last great silent epic film ever produced in Hollywood.<\/p>\n

\"\"Romero Britto<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: Manny Hernandez<\/p>\n

The black-tie gala is renowned for its surprise performances, with past headliners including Diana Ross, Jennifer Hudson, Lenny Kravitz, John Legend, Gwen Stefani, Steven Tyler, Marc Anthony, Adam Lambert, and Sting. The 30th anniversary promises another world-class entertainer that will be kept secret until just before curtain call.<\/p>\n

\"\"Naeem Kahn & Madlena Kalinova<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: Manny Hernandez<\/p>\n

Guests will dine on a gourmet menu created by InterContinental\u00ae Miami Executive Chef Francesco Martini, complemented by premium wines and cocktails courtesy of long-time sponsor Southern Wine & Spirits, which has supported the Ball since its inception.<\/p>\n

\"\"Kiki Barth<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: Manny Hernandez<\/p>\n

At the heart of the Ball\u2019s continued success is the partnership between Make-A-Wish Southern Florida and the InterContinental\u00ae Miami, steered by the trio affectionately known as the \u201cThree Amigos\u201d including Shareef M. Malnik, Gala Chair, who has led the Ball for nearly two decades, Glenn Sampert, General Manager of the InterContinental\u00ae Miami and Gala Host, and Norman Wedderburn, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish Southern Florida, who has guided the organization\u2019s expansion, ensuring every dollar raised translates directly into hope and joy for children and families.<\/p>\n

\"\"Lisa Hochstein<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: Manny Hernandez<\/p>\n

\"\"Al Malnik, Larsa Pippen, Nancy Malnik, and Spencer Malnik<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: Manny Hernandez<\/p>\n

\"\"Julia Lemigova and Kiki Barth<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: Manny Hernandez<\/p>\n

\"\"Shareef Malnik and Gabrielle Anwar<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: Manny Hernandez<\/p>\n

\"\"Shareef Malnik and Gabrielle Anwar<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: Manny Hernandez<\/p>\n

\"\"Gwen Stefani<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: Manny Hernandez<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The InterContinental\u00ae Miami Make-A-Wish\u00ae Ball will mark a remarkable milestone this fall on November 1 with 30 years…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":936,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[1484,1485,1486,1487,1488,1489,1490,1491,1492,1493,1494,1495,1496,1497,1498,1499,1500,1501,1502,1503,1504,1505,1506,1507,1508,1509,1510,1511,123,1512,125,124,1513,1514,194,1515,1516,1517,1518,807,1519,1520,1521,1522,1523,1524,1525,1526,1527,1528,1529],"class_list":["post-935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-47-million-raised","tag-1920s-glamour","tag-22-counties","tag-30th-annual","tag-700-wishes-granted","tag-1489","tag-adam-lambert","tag-black-tie-gala","tag-charity-gala","tag-children-with-critical-illnesses","tag-cleopatra-theme","tag-co-chair","tag-diana-ross","tag-executive-chef","tag-francesco-martini","tag-gabrielle-anwar","tag-gala-chair","tag-glenn-sampert","tag-gwen-stefani","tag-intercontinental-miami-general-manager","tag-intercontinental-miami-make-a-wish-ball","tag-jennifer-hudson","tag-john-legend","tag-lenny-kravitz","tag-luxury","tag-make-a-wish-southern-florida","tag-marc-anthony","tag-maxwell-blandford","tag-miami","tag-miami-charity-season","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news","tag-norman-wedderburn","tag-old-hollywood","tag-partnership","tag-philanthropy","tag-president-and-ceo","tag-shareef-malnik","tag-society-event","tag-south-florida","tag-southeast-florida","tag-southern-wine-spirits","tag-southwest-florida","tag-steven-tyler","tag-sting","tag-suncoast-region","tag-surprise-performer","tag-tampa-bay","tag-three-amigos","tag-u-s-virgin-islands","tag-wishes-granted"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}