REAL Exclusive Magazine

Gala Hits A Homerun For Women’s Sports Museum.

More than 200 guests attended the 3rd Annual Women’s Sport Museum Gala on October 19th at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ Michael’s on the Bay. The elegant affair started with a sunset cocktail hour in the gardens, followed by dinner, dancing and a high-energy live auction.

A special highlight of the evening was the recognition of past and present female athletes. Four female sports pioneers were honored with the 2018 Trailblazer Awards, including Colleen Healy, Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling, Donna Orender and Justine Siegal. The prestigious Trailblazer Lifetime Achievement Award was given to the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) in memoriam of Doris Harrington. Two local high school seniors were awarded Outstanding Female Athlete Scholarships. The scholarship recipients were Veronica Franco, North Port High School’s swim team captain, and Winnie Lu, Sarasota Sculler’s superstar rower.

The Gala is the Women’s Sports Museum’s signature event and serves as its primary fundraiser and celebration of women who have, still and will trailblaze for all women in sport. All proceeds benefit female athlete scholarships, education and the facility development fund.

For more information on the Women’s Sports Museum, visit womenssportsmuseum.org.