MIAMI (January 27, 2009)—More than 300 guests took part in the Miami-Dade Public Library Foundation’s Third Annual Library Champions Award Celebration on Friday, January 23, 2009 at the newly opened Pinecrest Library Branch. This year’s Library Champion award was presented to Georgie and Frank Angones for their long-standing advocacy of literacy and the Library. Georgie Angones is the Assistant Dean for Alumni Relations and Development at the University of Miami School of Law. Frank Angones is the immediate past President of the Florida Bar and is a partner at Angones, McClure, & Garcia, P.A.

The evening featured preeminent chef and author Thomas Buckley of Nobu and top chefs Arthur Artiles/Brosia, Tom Azar/Ahnvee, Sean Brasel/Meat Market, Jonathan Eisman/Pacific Time, Marco Ferraro/Wish, Cindy Hutson/Ortanique on the Mile, Edgar Leal/Cacao, Frank Randazzo & Andrea Curto-Randazzo/Talula and Marc Vidal/Por Fin who served up mouth-watering dishes from their restaurants.

Also participating in a storytelling showcase were local authors Rodrigo de la Luz, Anjanette Delgado, Carolina Garcia-Aguilera, Linda Gassenheimer, James Grippando and Fabiola Santiago. Music by the Carlos Averhoff Quartet created the perfect backdrop for this culinary/literary event. A Rum Bar was graciously donated by Matusalem Rum. The wine was donated by Imperial Wines, a new specialty wine store in North Miami.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the Library’s literacy programs. Figures recently published by the National Center for Education Statistics show that Miami-Dade County has a 52% level of adults lacking basic prose literacy skills.

En Espanol