Classic Rock & Roll Party Hits a Fund Raising High Note

Nicko McBrain, Abby Bernstein-Henderson & Steve Bernstein

Guests are calling for an encore after our 19th Annual Classic Rock & Roll Party in March was one of our most successful yet! The party, which was not held in 2021 due to the pandemic, had more than 300 supporters come together at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino with celebrity host Nicko McBrain, Iron Maiden drummer. It was a night of reminiscent rock performed by McBrain’s Bad Company cover band Dodgy Enterprise (including a surprise performance by Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke), as well as ABBA and Bee Gees tribute bands.

Guests were welcomed with cocktails, dinner and an exciting program recognizing the organization’s most generous contributors. Party chairmen were Steve Bernstein and Abby Bernstein-Henderson who also co-chaired the party in 2020. Before leading the Call to the Heart, Steve presented the HomeSafe Hero award to Aggie and Jeff Stoops whose transformative $5 million gift in the fall launched the agency to begin major renovations across its campuses.

“As parents and grandparents, Aggie and I think about our own children and grandchildren and how we want nothing but the best for them,” said Jeff Stoops. “There are 19,000 children in the foster care system in Florida. Many of them have experienced unimaginable abuse and neglect and can’t function in a traditional foster care setting. HomeSafe is here for these kids.”

Thanks to the generosity of our guests and sponsors, and the hard work of our chairmen and the Classic committee, $413,000 was raised for agency programs and to recruit and retain good staff who help our clients on their journey to heal from their trauma.