Laid back poolside gathering raises $1 million for Caron Renaissance

Welcome to the fifth annual Caron Renaissance gala! (Click on the photo for Michael Price's gallery)
Petra Levin, the chairwoman of Friday’s fifth annual Caron Renaissance gala, said the economy forced her to think outside the box.
How would she attract people to Palm Beach’s Mar-a-Lago willing to pay between $1,000 and $500 for a charity dinner on one of the busiest gala weekends of the year?
“I figured I’d make it less formal than the average Palm Beach gala, and more laid back,” Levin, a former Miss Germany, said during Friday’s wingding.”I thought that’d bring back the husbands, who no longer like the pomp and circumstance by the middle of the season.”
And then, she reached out to Miami singer Jon Secada, who performed for a hour.
Result: Levin had 300-plus helping themselves to fine foods around the pool, then moving to the grand ballroom for Secada’s show.
And by the time the receipts were tallied, the Boca addiction treatment center Caron Renaissance was $1 million richer — money that’ll go mostly to pay for rehab for those who can’t afford it.
Check out the guests by clicking here or on the photo.













Nearly 40 official public events are planned in South Florida in the two weeks leading to 
(Photo by James Greene)