Published On: Sat, Oct 1st, 2022

25th Annual Outstanding People & Leaders Awards Honorees Announced

Community leader Terry Fedele, philanthropists Amy and Mike Kazma, theater impresario Marilynn Wick, and Boca Helping Hands’ director Gregory Hazle will be the 25th Annual OPAL AWARDS honorees.

Noted Boca Raton philanthropist Christine E. Lynn, chair of Boca Raton Regional Hospital board of directors and an OPAL honoree herself, will return as honorary chair.

Hosting one of the premier galas in the 2022-2023 social season, The Rotary Club of Boca Raton’s major fundraiser will be back in the ballroom at Boca West Country Club on Jan. 14, 2023, after a sellout under a tent last year. The evening will begin with a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., followed by an elegant, seated dinner. The OPAL AWARDS are always presented as the high point of the evening, complete with videos of the honorees.

Following the tradition of honoring a club member, Rotary scholarship chair Pia Giannone will receive an OPAL AWARD for her longstanding work with FAU and Palm Beach State College. Proceeds of the OPAL gala benefit one of The Rotary Club of Boca Raton’s most important service missions…to fund youth scholarship programs. Last year’s OPAL AWARDS proceeds funded in excess of $200,000 to FAU and Palm Beach State College for students in academic, certificate and trade programs such as firefighters and paramedics.

Sponsorships for the 2023 OPAL AWARDS that include gala tickets are available at www.opalawards.com Individual tickets are $300. Table sponsors are $3,500, as well as other sponsorships and journal ads available.

OPAL honorees are chosen by members of the OPAL Society that include former honorees.

Here’s a snapshot of this year’s OPAL AWARDS honorees and highlights of their many accomplishments:

Terry Fedele

· Terry Fedele – Terry Fedele has exhibited her passion for healthcare, education and children through volunteer and leadership. Recognized and celebrated, her name is on the permanent Boca Raton Historical Society Walk of Recognition. Fedele serves as chair of the Advisory Board of FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, and board president of the Caring Hearts Auxiliary of FAU’s Green Memory and Wellness Center. She’s on four Boca Raton Regional Hospital committees, including the gala and Go Pink luncheon. She chaired this year’s YMCA of Palm Beach County 50th Anniversary Gala and countless other charity fundraisers. A former nurse administrator, she is married to Jerry Fedele, retired CEO of Boca Raton Regional Hospital.

Gregory Hazle

· Gregory Hazle – Hazle is executive director and a former board member of Boca Helping Hands. He had an extensive corporate career in the public utility, independent energy, mining, and construction materials industries. He served as a senior executive at NextEra (parent of FPL) and other Fortune 500 companies, including multinationals.

· Amy S. Kazma & Mike Kazma – Kazma’s nonprofit footprint extends everywhere in Boca Raton. To name a few: Boca Raton Regional Hospital Ball chair 2022. Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute foundation board. George Snow Scholarship Fund. Junior League Woman Volunteer of the Year nominee twice. Fuller Center board and Wee Dream Ball co-chair. Boca Raton Historical Society Bacchanal auction chair. Place of Hope Angel Moms.

Amy S. Kazma & Mike Kazma

·  As president and CEO of Amzak Capital Management, Mike Kazma has been an entrepreneur and investor in the telecommunications industry his entire career. He led the expansion into the Caribbean market, and the Amzak group’s buying over 60 companies in nine countries. Kazma’s involved in the company’s charitable donations to schools and universities in the United States, Caribbean and Central America.

Marilynn A. Wick

· Marilynn A. Wick – Asexecutive producer/ CEO of The Wick Theatre & Costume Museum, Wick has created a professional and regional theater presence in Boca Raton. New York entertainers performed in her lobby during the pandemic when their own venues were closed.  The theater is also a showplace for a rotating exhibit of costumes from Broadway shows and films. Wick has produced and provided the venue for fundraisers for nonprofits including Connected Warriors, The Pap Corps, Lynn University, and Peter Blum Family YMCA of Boca Raton. She also provides a theater experience for at-risk children.

Pia Giannone

· Pia Giannone – As scholarship committee chair since 2017, Giannone just established a first for The Rotary Club of Boca Raton, awarding scholarships for Palm Beach State College students in non-academic career paths such as automotive mechanics and firefighter/paramedic. Giannone is on the boards of Palm Beach State College Foundation and The Intergenerational Orchestra. She volunteers at Boca Helping Hands and supports the Fuller Center Adopt-a-Class Program.  She has been a benefactor to St. Jude’s Parish and School for 20 years.

Reprising their role as co-chairs of the 2023 OPAL AWARDS will be Jan Savarick, Neil Saffer and Spencer B. Siegel.

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