Show House Visitors Fund 5 Homes in Haiti

	Proceeds from the Designer Show House event will build five homes in Ganthier, Haiti.
Related Item: View Photos of the Show House

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (February 26, 2014) – Almost 700 people visited Lighthouse Interiors’ “Tour a House, Build a House” Designer Show House event over the weekend, making it possible for Food For The Poor to build five homes for desperate families living in mud huts in Ganthier, Haiti.

For three festive days, Feb. 21-23, visitors enjoyed tours of the 10,000-square-foot luxury home located at 2316 NE 30th Court in Lighthouse Point. Attendees were also treated to a wine-tasting, champagne, decadent dessert, live steel pan music, and a swimwear fashion show.

Displaying a mix of both traditional and contemporary styles, a dozen of the area’s top designers joined Bridget Conway, principal of Lighthouse Interiors, in transforming the home’s empty rooms and outdoor areas into inviting living quarters.

“We brought in a prominent group of South Florida designers who graciously agreed to share their incredible talents by imparting their magic throughout the house,” said Conway. “Without this fantastic team’s generosity, we could not have produced this showcase to generate much-needed funds to build safe and secure homes for some of the poorest families in Haiti.”

Ganthier is a small, rural community in Haiti where many families live without running water, electricity and very little food. Event proceeds will provide sturdy, two-room homes constructed with concrete block, poured cement foundations, and zinc roofs. Each home will be powered with solar energy and equipped with sanitation.

“Food For The Poor was honored to have Bridget Conway and all of the talented designers lend time, effort and extraordinary skill to support such an important cause,” said Robin Mahfood, President of Food For The Poor. “The houses we build for the people of Ganthier are more than just brick and mortar. They offer a foundation of hope.”

“Tour a House, Build a House” officially opened with a VIP reception on Thursday, Feb. 20, and offered guests eye-catching decor, cocktails courtesy of Bacardi, and a selection of gourmet samples prepared and served by Executive Chef Nestor “Alex” Amaya of El Tamarindo Café.  The event also featured a colorful fashion show hosted by Styles Boutique, a silent auction, music by Miami’s DJ UP, and door prizes.

The South Florida designers who joined Bridget Conway in the design of the home are Kenneth Crawford of Kenneth Crawford Interiors; Ellen de Vos of Michael Taylor Designs; Frances Herrera of Frances Herrera Interior Design; Sonia Lise Longchamp ASID, Kay Smith, and Gene Valentino of Sklar Furnishings; Kendall Marcelle of Kendall Marcelle Design Associates, Inc.; Bernard and Stephanie Molyneux, owners of ACP Home Interiors; Sabrina Wilson of Lighthouse Interiors; Century Furniture; TBG Partners and Spruce Home & Garden.

The premier sponsor for the 2014 Designer Show House was Campbell & Rosemurgy Real Estate. Additional sponsors included Bacardi Limited, El Tamarindo Café, U.S.A. Transportation, Bay Branch Foundation, Bayview Animal Clinic, Heritage Investment Group, Les Bijoux, LLC, Sheehan Buick GMC, The Prenner Team — Cathy and Jack Prenner and Wells Fargo.

For more information, visit foodforthepoor.org/showhousegallery.    

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.