Kate Amato Foundation holds annual fundraiser at Aqua Grill

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The Kate Amato Foundation hosted its annual dinner and fundraiser Nov. 24 at Aqua Grill in Ponte Vedra Beach. The event raised funds to benefit pediatric cancer research, while also honoring 11-year-old Kate Amato, who inspired the cause and died of pediatric cancer in 2016.

 

                Guests, new and old, streamed into Aqua Grill’s outdoor area, where a silent auction was held, along with a quick photo opportunity. Kate’s parents, foundation founders Lisa and Jeff Amato, greeted everyone before the dinner began.

 

“I love this evening. It’s exciting,” Lisa Amato said. “It warms my heart to know there are so many people standing behind us and our mission.”

 

                The dinner marked the beginning of the annual Kate Klassic Golf Tournament, opening the event with a four-course feast from the land and sea, and continuing the following morning with the competition.

 

Scallop crudo was served as an amuse bouche and tease for what was to come, artistically plated on a seashell, with yuku, black radish, cilantro oil, pistachio and minced jalapeno, to add some spice. The main course was a smoked, bacon-wrapped veal osso bucco with veggies, followed by an ice cream sandwich, napoleon-style, for dessert. Each dish was paired with a glass of wine from Jordan Winery of California, presented by representative, Matt Malinski.

               

                Speeches from Aqua Grill owner Cary Hart, Dr. John Sarandria, who met Kate during his residency at Wolfson Children’s Hospital and Lisa and Jeff Amato reminded guests of the reason for the dinner. A live auction followed.

 

                “I’ve been to Costa Rica before, so I’ve got my eye on South Africa,” said guest, Tim Fredrickson, who, after bidding out multiple contestants, won his sought-out trip with wife, Tracy. 

 

                The dinner’s eye-opening moment was when Lisa Amato took two wine glasses, one filled with blue-green beads and the other, empty. She held up the filled glass, representing the money that funds adult cancer research and treatment. The empty glass represented pediatric cancer. She took a few beads from the filled glass to sprinkle in the other, not even a third of the way full, in comparison.

 

                “No child should have to endure that kind of pain and misery,” she said. “And the memories of her (Kate’s) pain and suffering are the driving force behind this foundation.”

 

For more information about Kate Amato and the Kate Amato Foundation, visit www.kateamatofoundation.org.