BeLive Celebrated Its 6th Anniversary with a Spectacular Philanthropic Night for Colombia

Give To Colombia, 
 
Over 600 guests attended the 6th Anniversary of BeLive, a spectacular evening where philanthropy, music, fashion and Colombian culture came together to create the perfect evening! 
 
After raising over $3M for the past five years, and changing the lives of so many Colombians in need, BeLive once again brought together four prominent Colombian non-profit organizations-Give to Colombia, Fórmula Sonrisas, Genesis Foundation and ArtNexus Foundation- to change and impact the lives of the most vulnerable communities in Colombia. Guests were welcomed in the lobby of the JW Marriott Marquis Miami by the Pepsi Blue carpet and to a slew of photographers, journalists and press and media members. Guests were then escorted to the cocktail hour where Diageo sponsored bars waited for them, as well as 2 spectacular silent auctions, that were curated in collaboration with Artesanías de Colombia. 
 
These silent auctions were one of a kind and were truly a “bid” not to miss. The first auction was the Project Emerald, a unique initiative that collaborated with distinguished Jewelry Designers from Colombia and the US, to create one-of-a-kind pieces including earrings, bracelets, clutches, hairpiece and even a Colombian Mochila designed a crated by Silvia Tcherassi, especially for BeLive 2012. This initiative paid tribute to one of Colombia’s most recognizable riches, the emerald. Additional designers and brands who joined us this year included Dayan Candamil, Maria Hamilton, Dauphines of New York, Zoken Joyeros, Mallarino Bijoux, Paola Pacheco and many more. For our second auction, BeLive alongside Artesanías de Colombia in collaboration with FedEx, selected some of Colombia’s most beautiful pieces to showcase during the evening. These exclusive crafts were unique pieces and handmade by artisans who have learned their work for many years generationally. Each region of the country has a different technique and products that is part of the identity and cultural heritage of the country. Both silent auctions were a tremendous success!
 
The evening’s spectacular Fashion Show was in the hands of Venezuelan born designer, Nicolas Felizola. This internationally celebrated and renowned designer unveiled his much anticipated 2013 MOOI Collection, whose inspiration includes the 17th century Dutch Golden Age and artists such as Vermeer and Rembrandt. In addition, he showed stunning looks from his most recognizable Red Carpet Ensembles.
 
The most heartfelt part of the evening was when Guillermo Gomez, Catalina Escobar’s husband, was called onstage to present to her the 2012 BeLive Award. The audience listened attentively as Guillermo spoke about his wife and the foundation, JuanFe, named after their son, who lost his life in 2000. Guests were silent as Catalina Escobar spoke about the true meaning of Philanthropy and how do to her foundation the indices of mortality have drastically been reduced in Cartagena, Colombia. Catalina Escobar recently became the only Hispanic semifinalist for the upcoming CNN Heroes award, which will air on December 2.
 
The evening came to an amazing conclusion with a spectacular, intimate concert by non-other than “El Caballero de la Salsa” Gilberto Santa Rosa.
 
Thank you to our sponsorsth Chevron, Diageo, American Airlines, Mongibello, Target, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing con Félix Sabates, Pepsi, Chevrolet GM, Morgan Stanley, Sanford, Sprint, Banco JGB, HSBC Bank, Capital EFG, Goldman Sachs & Co, Nascar, Sunoco, JP Morgan, Kimberly Clark, 3R Family Office, Santander Private Banking, The USA Bouquet Company, Boca Brickell Tanning Club, Rocco Donna, FedEx, DJ Mauricio Parra, Zerofractal Studios, RGB Studios.
 
The BeLive 2012 celebration was truly a memorable evening and had the pleasure of hosting guests such as: Connie and Juan Pablo Montoya, Angela Maria Tafur Barco, Carolina Esquenazi- Shaio, Cristina Gutierrez de Piñeres, Francine Birbragher, Candela Ferro, Humberto Rodriguez “El Gato” Calderon, Karent Sierra, Mercedes Soler, Gabriel Valenzuela and Zurami Pascual, Gisella Lowentein, Andres Lopez, Natalia Cruz, Alberto Sardinias, Jorge Bernal, Ingrid Hoffman, Martin Santos, Miguel Varoni y Catherine Siachoque, Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates, Cónsul General of Colombia, Marta Jaramillo and many more.