Evening of Hope VIII Raises $200K for Autism Research, Scholarships

Annual Fundraiser for Florida Tech’s Scott Center for Autism Treatment

MELBOURNE, FLA. — The Scott Center for Autism Treatment’s annual Evening of Hope VIII raised $200,000 for research and treatment, scholarships and critical subsidies at the Florida Institute of Technology-based facility.

Led by co-chairs Greg and Leasha Flammio-Watson and Ted and Melissa Parker, the April 9 event outside and inside Port Canaveral’s Exploration Tower featured a Gasparilla pirate theme. Costumed pirates mingled with the crowd as they danced to music by Wonderama, dined on food from Green Turtle Catering and sipped beer from Florida Beer Co. Beach House Design was responsible for the decor.

The event’s title, Night of Wishes, was fitting, with $75,000 of the total raised going toward the Scott Center’s WISH scholarships, which provide early intervention treatment for children with autism and related disorders to families that otherwise could not afford it.

“An Evening of Hope VIII was a great success. The tremendous support from our community allows us to reach children and families who otherwise have nowhere to turn,” said Scott Center Executive Director Michael Kelley. “Because of the generosity of our donors, we will immediately begin contacting families with not just an offer for an appointment, but a gift of hope that their children will have the opportunity to reach their potential.”

And once again this year, Kempf’s Jewelers in Indialantic generously donated a Rolex Oyster Perpetual GMT-MASTER II, which was raffled off as a key component of the Scott Center fundraising efforts, raising $22,000.

The 40mm, stainless steel timepiece, valued at $8,450, was won by Deborah Mortiere at the drawing April 16 at the store.

 ###