BOCA RATON – Members of South Florida’s Gumbo Limbo chapter of the national Fraternal Order of the Moai organization recently donated $500 to the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, a coastal and marine environmental experience in Boca Raton.
The Fraternal Order of Moai serves as the premier fraternal organization and social network for all men and women interested in tiki culture and the Polynesian pop era.
This fun-loving, socially active group lists their core values as good works, fellowship, spirit, presence, preservation and celebration, according to a news release.
Each year, members of FOM’s Gumbo Limbo chapter volunteer at the annual Miami Rum Renaissance Festival in April. Festival organizers made the donation to the club at the FOM’s annual Ohana Luau at the Lake 2013 gathering at Lake George, NY.
Robin Burr and Robert V. Burr from the Miami Rum Festival thanked the Gumbo Limbo Chapter of the Order for providing many volunteers at the rum festival.
The chapter helps to oversee all the stage management and entertainment during the grand tasting events, tallying scores for the rum tasting competition and assisting some of the world’s foremost rum experts in their seminars.
Chapter members are enthusiastic about working at the world’s largest rum festival.
“I always enjoy working with bartenders and rum experts from around the world with their presentations on the main stage,” FOM member Don Rudawsky said. “The US vs UK Tiki challenge is always over the top and the Polynesian dancers were a fantastic addition this past year.”
Gumbo Limbo chapter members, in turn, passed along their donation to the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center to aid in their innovative and strategic program to save and rehabilitate sea turtles along South Florida’s coastline.
Diane Bilodeau, director of Retail and Finance for Friends of Gumbo Limbo Staff and Darlene Rosa, secretary, accepted the check.
The nature center educates close to 100,000 tourists each year about local native marine life and how to protect the inhabitants of some of Florida’s extensive coastlines.
The Gumbo Limbo chapter of FOM has traditionally donated to animal charities in the past, officials said. This was their first donation to the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.