The Rotary Club of College Park will host the 6^th annual Taste of College Park - Food and Wine Festival, 6 p.m., Thursday, April 23, 2009 at Dubsdread Golf Club, 549 W. Par Street, Orlando. The donations made possible through the club's annual fund-raising efforts, including its signature event, the Taste of College Park Food and Wine Festival make it possible to give back to our community, both for people within the College Park community and even beyond those borders, helping young and old.

For example, on December 4, 2008 the Rotary Club of College Park gave more than $17,000 to local organizations at the club's Thursday morning meeting at Dubsdread Golf Club.

Organizations are nominated and chosen by the Rotary Club of College Park members. This year's groups to receive donations include:

Adult Literacy League, Bahay Bata Center for Street Children in Angeles, Causes for Change International, Inc., Christian Service Center for Central Florida, Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences, 4C (Community Coordinated Care for Children), Foundation for Foster Children, Inc., Girl Scouts Citrus Council, Heart of Romania, Hospice of the Comforter, Kids Across America, Lake Silver Elementary, Lockhart Elementary, New Hope for Kids, Orlando Marine Institute, Orlando Volleyball Academy, Primrose Center, Inc., Princeton Elementary, Rotary Foundation, Schnauzer Love Rescue, Inc., Sentinels of Freedom, Shelter Box USA, The Salvation Army, US Lacrosse-Orlando, Inc.

The popular annual event is made possible by showcasing tasty samples of College Park's best restaurants and pairing the food with wine selections provided by Yeomans Chiropractic. In addition, silent and live auction sales boost fund-raising revenues. A wide variety of unique items are donated by local businesses and Rotarians for the auctions. This year's live auction will feature John M. Glassman, Glassman Auctions in Michigan.

Returning restaurant participants include: Adriatico Trarroria Italiana, Blackwater Bar-B-Q, Harmoni Artisan Meal Market, Jade Bistro, Juliana's Fine Tuscan Cuisine, K Restaurant and Wine Bar, Logan's Bistro, Nonna Trattoria Ed Enoteca, Publix, and The Tap Room at Dubsdread.

The Rotary Club of College Park also supports the following:

• The PolioPlus Initiative of Rotary International - PolioPlus is a program to immunize all the world's children against Polio. To date, the program has contributed $616 million to the protection of more than two billion children in 122 countries.
• Rotary Club of College Park Local Projects - Each month, the Club honors one student from Lee Middle School, St. Charles Catholic School, Edgewater High School, and Bishop Moore High School. Along with the recognition as "Student of the Month," the students are presented a $50 gift to designate to a special in-school interest. The Club also provides annual scholarships to a graduating senior from both Edgewater and Bishop Moore High Schools. This amounts to more than $2500 in gifts that are given directly to College Park area students!
• Ronald McDonald House of Orlando - The idea behind the Ronald McDonald House program is simple: Provide a "home away from home" for families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. It serves as a temporary residence near the medical facility where family members can sleep, eat, relax and find support from other families in similar situations.
• Additionally, by joining forces with Winter Park and downtown Orlando Rotary Clubs, we also have been able to place solar ovens to two African organizations: Mukuru School and Good Samaritan Children Home. Plus the College Park club is joining forces with other Rotary clubs to expand the placement of these highly beneficial solar technologies which go a long way in combating world hunger.

"For more than 16 years, the Rotary Club of College Park has been giving back to the community, locally and internationally," said Paul Kish, president, Rotary Club of College Park. "Our members nominate additional organizations to benefit from our fund-raising efforts... One hundred percent of profits raised benefit local students and charities both locally and internationally."

The 2009 Taste of College Park is scheduled for April 23 at Dusbdread Golf Club.

Tickets for this year's Taste are $50 per person for food and wine, plus the evening will include a silent auction, live entertainment and feature a live auction. Corporate sponsorships are also available for $2500 and will include 10 tickets to the event plus special recognition.

This year's guest auctioneer will be John Glassman, Sr.

For more information, click here to email questions.

Buy tickets at the door for only $55!