FORT MYERS, Fla. (Feb. 12, 2014) – Stephanie Summers, Fox-4 “Morning Blend” and “Paradise TV” co-host, will emcee the Ninth Annual Evening with the Red Sox dinner and auction, while David Moulton, sports columnist and SportsRadio 993/ESPN “Miller and Moulton in the Afternoon” co-host, will act as auctioneer for the evening.
Benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County, the event will be held at JetBlue Park, located at 11500 Fenway South Drive in Fort Myers, on Monday, Feb. 24 at 5:30 p.m.
Originally from St. Louis, Mo., Summers co-hosts the “Morning Blend” and the evening magazine show “Paradise TV” on Fox-4. She studied broadcast journalism at the St. Louis Center of Broadcasting and Fontbonne University in St. Louis, where she was the protégé of many broadcasters she grew up watching. She has previously worked for a talent agency, reported on entertainment, casted for reality shows on network TV in Chicago and anchored the evening news at an NBC affiliate in North Dakota, where she also shot stories as a backpack journalist. She later decided on morning news when she led the news desk in Central Illinois as morning anchor and producer. An animal advocate, Summers has served on the board of directors for the Souris Valley Animal Shelter in North Dakota, and she looks forward to more volunteer opportunities in Southwest Florida.
Moulton has been a sportscaster in Southwest Florida since 1999. He currently co-hosts “Miller and Moulton in the Afternoon” weekday afternoons on 99.3 ESPN and writes two locally published sports columns. He is the play-by-play voice for Florida Gulf Coast University basketball and spends college football season as Gary Danielson’s spotter during the “SEC on CBS” broadcasts.
The annual event will include a cocktail reception with hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine, silent and live auctions, dinner and games. This year’s unique list of silent and live auction items include the ultimate sports lover’s trip to watch the Boston Red Sox on Fenway’s Green Monster, an amazing long weekend in New York City for dinner and a Broadway show, a world-class supercar driving tour through Red Rock Canyon in Las Vegas, a New Orleans getaway featuring dinner at Dickey Brennan’s Steakhouse in the French Quarter and more. Red Sox players will also be in attendance signing autographs along with Red Sox Manager and American League Manager of the Year runner-up John Farrell as the event’s special-guest speaker. Last year’s event included autograph signings from Red Sox players Dustin Pedroia and Mike Napoli as well as Farrell.
Funds raised during the event will benefit the BGCLC’s after-school programs, which include homework assistance and tutoring, academic enrichment activities, extracurricular clubs, fitness and social recreation, performing arts, civic engagement and more. Last year’s Evening with the Red Sox event raised more than $90,000, providing more than 30,000 hours of service to more than 420 young people in the Lee County community who later demonstrated academic success, character and leadership development and healthier lifestyles from the agency’s programs.
Sponsors for the event include the Coca Cola Company, Crowne Plaza Hotel at Bell Tower Shops, Encore Bank, Florida Power and Light Company, JetBlue Airways, the Red Sox Foundation, Suncoast Beverages, presenting sponsor Ted Todd Insurance and more. Sponsorships and tables are still available from $1,250 to $10,000. Donations for auction items are also being accepted.
The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs is to inspire and enable young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. The BGCLC strives to provide a safe, world-class Club experience that assures success is within reach of every young person who walks through its doors. The organization envisions all of its members graduating high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and living a healthy lifestyle. This year, the BGCLC will celebrate 40 years of providing quality youth programs and brighter futures for young people in our community.
Clubs are located in communities with the greatest need where similar services are limited or nonexistent. Membership dues are $10 per school year so that all children can have access to its programs. The BGCLC relies upon the philanthropic support of individuals, corporations and foundations in order to sustain and grow its services.
For more information or to become a sponsor, contact Shannon Lane at 239-334-1886 or slane@bgclc.net, or visit www.bgclc.net.
