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On Thursday, March 5, 125 Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ Florida donors gathered for Song of the Earth and Sky, a fundraising event spearheaded by Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ Florida board member Dykes Everett and his wife, Lisa. Every other year, a top-secret Winter Park home is selected to host the party. James Beard nominated chefs — Brandon McGlamery of Luma on Park, Prato, and Lukes Kitchen and Bar, and James Petrakis of The Ravenous Pig and Ravenous Pig Brewery — each put together a culinary experience under the stars.

This year, Lisa and David Jasmund opened their beautiful home to Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ for the festivities and Top Chef Season 13 winner Chef Jeremy Ford of Stubborn Seed in Miami joined in to help the cause. Guests were welcomed with a Veuve Clicquot experience sponsored by the champagne brand, oysters sponsored by Sublime Oysters, and a performance by a quartet from the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. Guests traveled from food station to food station, feasting on incredible food and beverages.

The Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ Center for Birds of Prey brought their animal ambassadors and showcased our conservation mission in feathered form. The program included inspiring remarks by Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ Florida Executive Director, Julie Wraithmell, and Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ CEO David Yarnold, as well as a live auction featuring Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ experiences led by Dykes Everett. 

This year’s event was particularly special because it fell both on the birthday of the hostess, Mrs. Jasmund, and during the week of the 120th birthday of the Florida Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ Society, which was founded in neighboring Maitland, FL.

In total, the evening raised more than $111,000 for our conservation work. Many thanks go to the wonderful chefs and their amazing staff . We are also grateful to the Jasmund’s for opening their home to us, as well as our our event planning committee, Carolyn Kraft Bethel, Lisa Everett, Paula Loftus, Liz McGlamery, and Debbie Mintzer. Our deepest gratitude to our event sponsors and host committee — your support allows us to protect birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow.