Page 26 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2019

COASTNOTES Tstory by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster
photo by Darah Roundtree
he flavors of Mexico met with Mississippi generosity at the home of Jeanne Hines. Mexico Meets Mississippi, a benefit for the Aarón Sánchez Scholarship Fund, was
presented by Aarón Sánchez, Rachel Moring, and Rebecca and Ruth O’Dwyer.
While the cocktail hour and three-course dinner
with wine pairings were a hit, the main event was the fundraising. “We created this initiative to empower aspiring chefs from the Latin community to follow their dreams and attend the best culinary school in
the United States, The International Culinary Center,” said Sánchez. “Across America, many restaurant kitchens rely heavily on the talents of Latino cooks,
but few of those cooks advance to the top of their field, becoming chefs de cuisine or executive chefs. With our scholarship, we are doing our part to change that.”
Scholarship recipients are selected according to their drive, potential and creativity. “We mentor, educate and empower these students so they can one day become leaders in the culinary world,” said Sánchez.
Mexico Meets Mississippi succeeded in raising enough funds to send a student through another year of culinary school. The event presenters hope to make it an annual occurrence.
Aarón Sánchez Scholarship Fund
www.aaronsanchezscholarshipfund.com
Rachel Moring, Rebecca O’Dwyer,
Aaron Sanchez and Ruth O’Dwyer
26 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • December 2019
Sowing Seeds
GULFPORT PUBLIC LIBRARY GARDEN GETS A MAKEOVER
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster Wphotos courtesy of the Women’s Club of Gulfport
hen the ladies of the Women’s Club of Gulfport saw the state of the garden area outside of Gulfport Public Library, they new something needed to be done.
“I think we all feel like public spaces should be not only functional but beautiful if we can achieve that,” says Women’s Club President Vanessa
Edwards. “It’s a small thing, but we’ve had so many people tell us how much they appreciate it.”
The club started by maintaining the space, with green- thumbed members going by to clean it up and weed every so often. “We knew we
wanted to do something with
the patch of dirt in the front, but were concerned about upkeep, hence the pavers,” Edwards said. “We started painting them last winter and finished up this June.”
The ladies put in countless
hours cleaning the space and hand painting more
than 70 pavers. “We are a community service driven organization, so we love projects like this,” continued Edwards. “It’s great to know that our hard work created a space that can be enjoyed by all who visit the library.”
FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net