Passion with Purpose Past Events

Our 2018 Dinner Gala was a whopping success. Mark King and his dueling pianos brought laughter and fun to our evening. It was a great celebration of ten years of giving. Thank you once again to our generous supporters! We were able to raise well over $100,000 that we gave back to those in need in our local community. We are always grateful and overwhelmed by such compassion!

Laughter Becomes You

Passion with Purpose 2017 was another year of successful giving thanks to all of our amazing supporters.   Tim Gard was our guest speaker and he kept all of us laughing from the moment he walked on stage until he walked off.   His humor was filled with lessons on taking the stress out of stressful encounters in other words how to take a “bummer”  and make it a “woohoo”!  Thank you Tim for an evening of laughter!

Our beneficiaries this year:

Edgewood Children's Ranch
St. Vincent DePaul Family Outreach
Home at Last

Thank you to our sponsors:

Tom and Jan Dugan and Westgate Foundation
Teph Seal Auto Appearance
John and Debbie Donohue
Duncan and Aleise McGuffie
Jim and Dot Vargo
Bill and Donna Sell
Cut and Color Room
Dennis and Stacey DeCarlo<

Passion with Purpose 2016 was an evening to remember!  Pat Williams was inspiring, humorous and told some wonderful stories.

He shared with us the seven steps to being a success:  

Vision

Communicating Your Vision

People Skills

Character Counts

Competence

Boldness

A Serving Heart

2016 Beneficiaries:

Edgewood Children's Ranch
St. Vincent DePaul Family Outreach
Home At Last

Special thanks to our sponsors:
Tom and Jan Dugan along with Westgate Resorts, Teph Seal Auto Appearance, The DeCarlo Family, Duncan McGuffie, John and Debbie Donohue, Orlando Brewing, Cut & Color Room

Our 2015 Passion with Purpose was an evening of inspiration.

The evening is one that none of us will forget! Chad Hynas asked each of us what will be the legacy we will leave? He challenged, inspired, made us laugh and made us cry! He changed our lives!

Our foundation is truly blessed with generous supporters year after year and 2015 was no different. The Whitney DeCarlo Foundation (aka: every one of our donors) was able to put over $95,000.00 back into our local community!

Those who benefited were:

Edgewood Children's Ranch
Home at Last
St. Vincent DePaul Family Outreach
Orlando Health Regional Medical Center

A very special thank you to our gold and silver sponsors: Duncan and Aleise McGuffie, John and Debbie Donohue, TephSeal Auto Appearance, Orlando Health, Cut N' Color Room and the DeCarlo Family

Our 2014 Passion with Purpose was an evening filled with possibilities!

Our keynote speaker was Mike Rayburn who asked the question "What If?" Having been called the "world's funniest guitar virtuoso", he encouraged, challenged and inspired each of us, while mesmerizing us with his talent.

We once again had record attendance by incredibly generous supporters. Our beneficiaries were Edgewood Children's Ranch, Home at Last, St. Vincent DePaul Family Outreach and Orlando Regional Medical Center.

In keeping with our mission in giving back in our own local community, the foundation was able to donate in excess of $90,000!

Our 2013 Passion With Purpose Gala was entitled “Celebrating Five Years of Giving!”  Our keynote speaker was Giovanni Livera.  He is an entertainer who is both the messenger and the message.  He is an American entrepreneur whose achievements inspire others to achieve. Giovanni is at once a performer and a presenter, enthusiast and entertainer, magician and motivator. 

It was an evening of laughter and celebration.  Jim Payne, WESH anchor was once again our MC.  Over 370 were in attendance.  Our community was again blessed by the generosity of all our guests and supporters. Edgewood Children’s Ranch, Home At Last, St. Vincent DePaul family outreach and tuition assistance programs were our beneficiaries this year.  Checks were distributed in access of $120,000!

Our 2012 Passion With Purpose Gala featured Captain Charlie Plumb, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who went on to fly F-4 Phantom jet fighters on 74 successful missions. On this 75th mission with only five days before the end of his tour of duty, Plumb was shot down, captured, tortured and imprisoned in an 8-by-8 foot cell. He spent the next 2,103 days as a prisoner of war in communist prison camps.

He shared some of his stories and applied them to the challenges of everyday life. You could hear a pin drop except the pacing back in for the in his 8 by 8 foot cell!  Jim Payne, WESH anchor was once again our MC and over 350 were in attendance. Due to the generosity of our guests and supporters we were able to once again make significant donations to our beneficiaries. This year our beneficiaries were Edgewood Children's Ranch, Home at Last, St. Vincent DePaul family outreach and tuition assistance programs. Checks were distributed the week of April 15th totaling over $115,000!!

Our 2011 Passion with Purpose Gala featured all-time football great Roger Staubach as our guest speaker. The gala was held at Holy Family Parish Life Center on March 12, 2011.The evening was electrifying. Jim Payne, WESH anchor, was our MC and over 350 were in attendance. In a year when our designated beneficiaries have been called upon to provide increased levels of service driven by the difficult economic conditions we face in Central Florida, the generosity of our guests and supporters resulted in a 150% increase in funds provided by the foundation. Our beneficiaries this year were Edgewood Children's Ranch, St. Vincent DePaul family outreach and tuition assistance programs. Checks were distributed the week of March 21st totaling over $90,000.00!!!

The mission of the foundation is to increase awareness and inspire each of us to make a difference in our local community. One life does make a difference.

In keeping with Whitney's energy for life, we wish all of you passion and purpose in all that you do!

Our second annual Passion with Purpose Dinner Gala was held in April 2010.

This year’s event featured keynote speaker Phil Simms, NFL great and lead analyst for CBS Sports. Phil is a recognized community leader with a passion for the special needs of today’s at-risk youth. The purpose of the event was once again to raise funds for local charities that support at-risk children and families in need within our local community. Another goal was to raise awareness of the needs in our community and to inspire action. We believe that one life can make a difference for many.

Due to the generous support of our community, attendees and local businesses, the foundation was able to contribute over $45,000 to the local 501c(3) charities Edgewood Children’s Ranch, St. Vincent DePaul family outreach and tuition assistance programs.

Our inaugural Passion with Purpose Dinner Gala was held in May of 2009 and was successful beyond all expectations!

Coach Lou Holtz, our keynote speaker, is one the most highly sought after motivational speakers in the country, and we were honored that he chose to participate in the foundation's first event. Through the generous support of our donors and participants, we were able to invest over $30,000 in our local community through Edgewood Children’s Ranch, Saint Vincent DePaul Family Outreach and targeted tuition assistance programs! Saint Vincent DePaul, through this donation, was able to keep the food pantry stocked for a year and feed local families touched by these difficult economic times.

Most gratifying, we were able to offset the costs and living expenses for a youth to attend Edgewood Children’s Ranch Residential Facility. Contributions were also made to tuition assistance programs in our own backyard.