In 1985, Health Crisis Network, a fledgling not-for-profit HIV/AIDS service organization asked a local successful gay businessman, Frank Wager, for help staging a fund raiser. The goal was to generate desperately needed funds to help combat the disease that was running rampant through the gay community. With this goal in mind Frank and his committee of ten volunteers began working on the White Party concept.
From the beginning the committee wanted the party to symbolize community solidarity in a way that was non-political and non-combative. White was chosen for this reason as well as for its purity and elegance. As the planning continued it became obvious that there were few venues in Dade County suitable for such an elegant event. Fellow committee member Jorge Suarez recommended Villa Vizcaya as a possibility since he was a member of The Vizcayans, a not-for-profit organization that helps raise funds for the continued restoration of the Estate and its Collections. A request was submitted and approved by the Metro-Dade County Park & Recreation Department.
Vizcaya, the Miami residence of the late James Deering, is a 16th century Italian Renaissance-styled villa with formal gardens. The Estate originally occupied one hundred and eighty acres including a complex of farm buildings called the Village. Today, Vizcaya occupies roughly thirty acres. The entrance road to the estate winds through a subtropical jungle called a hammock which is found only in parts of southern Florida. Guests of Vizcaya arriving by automobile are received in a grand Entrance Plaza surrounded by large sculptured pillars, cascading fountains and 17th century Italian sculptured figures. Guests arriving by yacht are treated to a spectacular view of the East Facade which is reminiscent of the Villa Rezzonico, a 17th century villa near Venice. The home is filled with fine period furniture, textiles, sculpture and architectural elements from the 15th through the early 19th centuries.
The White Party at Vizcaya was created by a wonderful group of altruistic and compassionate people drawn together and responding to a dreadful disease that has caused tragic losses and much personal grief. This event is now the crown jewel of a week long series of events that make up the White Party Week and combined generate hundreds of thousand of dollars to benefit Care Resource, a recently formed merger of Health Crisis Network and Community Research Initiative of South Florida. Community AIDS Resource that now offers our clients access to promising new drug therapies in addition to the vast array of programs and services Health Crisis Network has traditionally provided. The White Party appreciates your generosity and support and hopes that you join us in honoring and remembering the people for whom we hold these worthwhile endeavors.
JustCircuit is a proud sponsor of White Party Week, the Crown Jewel of the Circuit, celebrating its 25th anniversary this month. Please support Care Resource and the sanctioned events during White Party Week 2009.
