There were enough stars in attendance at Frank Ski Foundation’s annual Celebrity Wine Tasting to decorate a Christomas Tree. But the biggest star was not the throng of celebrities, dignitaries and urban sophisticates who flooded Franki Ski’s palatial estate in Atlanta’s upscale Buckhead district. Instead of Ne-Yo or D-Nice bathing in the spotlight, it was an overachieving teenage male.
The spirited soiree soared to an emotional climax when Norman Hayes, 18, was awarded the Mike Lubin Award for powering himself from tragedy to triumph and into the aristocracy of American education. Hayes’ sister was tragically struck down by a car as she waited at a bus stop in suburban Atlanta. Hayes, with the aid of his parents, rode his sister’s spirit to a 4.0 GPA in high school. But instead of the star high school quarterback chosing a football power program to go to, Hayes decided to enroll at esteemed Harvard University in the fall. Hayes poignantly crystallized what the Frank Ski Foundation is really about.
“The Frank Ski Kids Foundation embraces youth and their value by showing examples and providing hands-on opportunities to promote optimal growth, self-expression, ingenuity, achievement and learning vital to their ambitions,“ says Frank Ski. “Through the efforts of the Foundation and the help of charitable contributors, observable differences in communities have been made. Our efforts to date have helped many children, but the needs of our children remain immense. We must continue with unfaltering determination and dedication.”
The gala is Ski’s signature annual fundraiser and enabled urban sophisticated to imbibe on upscale wines such as Opus One, Silver Oak, Caymus Special Select, Louis Roederer Cristal Champagne and Frank Ski’s international wines from Australia and South Africa.
Ski and Mayor Reed helped punctuate the festive affair with the live auction of rare, authentic, autographed sports memorabilia by sports icons, trips, and rare bottles of the best wine. –terry shropshire
