"Cooking Up a Storm" a Big
Florida Success
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|  Duke
Family –
From left: Bob and Louise Hardman, grandparents;
Jim, Kelly, Lauren, and Pam Duke
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Diamonds, a catered dinner at home and the hospitality
of the Duke family. Sounds like a great night out, don’t
you think?
That’s what 100 people experienced recently at
the home of Jim and Pam Duke, who hosted their annual
"Cooking Up a Storm" fundraiser to benefit
the Scleroderma Foundation. Catered by local chef Jim
Kennedy, guests were treated to a wonderful dinner in
the backyard of the Duke’s Ocala, Florida home.
Kennedy was also nice enough to lend his
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| From
left: Elaine Lemeiux, Lauren Duke and Guy Lemeiux.
Lemeiux Diamond Company donated a 3-carat bracelet
($4,000 value). |
services for a raffle prize, cooking a dinner at the
home of the lucky winner. The raffle fetched $800.
The wife of the raffle winner does not cook, Pam Duke
joked.
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| Delta
Gamma Sorority Sisters – From left: M.C.
Blount, Lauren Duke, Lauren Miller, and Courtney
Monetti |
Another highlight of the evening was a donation of
a diamond tennis bracelet from local jeweler Guy Lemeiux.
The piece of jewelry sold for $2,400 and was won by
a man who two years ago met his future wife at a Cooking
up a Storm function.
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| Westin
Truluck and friends making a donation |
Jim and Pam’s daughter, Lauren, attended the
event, along with several of her Delta Gamma sorority
sisters from the University of Florida. Lauren, who
has scleroderma, recently completed a successful freshman
year.
A table filled with scleroderma brochures and books
were available for guests to peruse at their leisure.
At the end of the night, more than $50,000 had been
raised in honor of Lauren and the Scleroderma Foundation.
“We have some incredible friends and we are extremely
thankful for their generosity,” Pam Duke said.
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