- May 11, 2024
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Dr. Glenn Zimmet, Dr. Anthony Tucker, Executive Director/Chief Development Officer John Subers, 2018 Moonlit Gala Chairwoman Margaret Subers and guest speaker and humorist Jeanne Robertson. Photo by Paige Wilson
Executive Director/Chief Development Officer John Subers welcomes the crowd to the 9th-annual Moonlit Gala. Photo by Paige Wilson
Bunnell Elementary School students Dylonah Martz and Jack Gilvary showcase their Future Problem Solvers group SHADE. Gilvary's father has Type 1 Diabetes, which gave him inspiration for the project. Photo by Paige Wilson
Peter and Sue Freytag, gold sponsors for the FHF Foundation, stand with Wendy and David Ottati, CEO of North Region of Florida Hospital's Central Florida Division. Photo by Paige Wilson
Flagler 20/20 Society members Alan and Audrey Messer share a personal story about Audrey's life-changing fall and how FHF helped her back on her feet. Photo by Paige Wilson
Dr. Riz Kabir and Dr. Tanam Ahmed-Kabir. Photo by Paige Wilson
Jeanne Robertson, a professional speaker who specializes in humor based on life experiences, entertains the crowd. Photo by Paige Wilson
2018 Moonlit Gala Chairwoman Margaret Subers thanks the crowd and encourages them to enjoy the evening. Photo by Paige Wilson
Jewel Johnson and Earl Johnson, who is the executive director of leadership development in Flagler Schools. Photo by Paige Wilson
Dr. John J. Cascone shares his appreciation for the FHF Foundation. Photo by Paige Wilson
Foundation Committee members Debbie Ronson, Joyce Fenstermaker and Katie James. Photo by Paige Wilson
Dr. Glenn Zimmet is the emcee for the night. Photo by Paige Wilson
Guest speaker and humorist Jeanne Robertson shares life experiences for entertainment. Photo by Paige Wilson
Dr. Paul Mucciolo shares his appreciation for the FHF Foundation. Photo by Paige Wilson
Dr. Ron Jimenez, Dr. Paul Mucciolo and Dr. Glenn Zimmet. Photo by Paige Wilson
Executive Director/Chief Development Officer John Subers hands flowers to Margaret Subers, his wife, who is the 2018 Moonlit Gala Chairwoman. Photo by Paige Wilson
CEO Dr. Ron Jimenez speaks to the crowd of about 300. Photo by Paige Wilson
Nadi Yoga and Wellness owner Roy Beltz and Dr. Anthony Tucker. Photo by Paige Wilson
Palm Coast residents Joan and Skip Keating. Photo by Paige Wilson
As Alan Messer shared the story of his wife Audrey Messer’s life-changing 14-and-a-half-foot fall onto a concrete slab, the crowd of about 300 guests at Florida Hospital Flagler Foundation’s Moonlit Gala became silent.
Audrey Messer had traumatic brain injury, broke her back in three places, and broke her jaw, teeth, elbow and several other parts of her body.
“It’s an awfully scary moment,” Alan Messer said. “I cradled her in my lap until the time that they took her away from me. And at that point, as they loaded her into the helicopter, she had no vital signs. She had no vital signs for three minutes. When I drove down to the hospital in Daytona, I didn’t know if I was going to find my wife or body parts.”
While he said the trauma center in Daytona Beach did a lot of the “heavy lifting” for the first several weeks of surgeries and treatment for Audrey, a team of doctors at Florida Hospital Flagler have gotten her to where she is now, standing on stage in a glamourous blue dress next to him.
Alan said that when Audrey was released from the hospital in Daytona Beach, she had limited mobility, was in a wheelchair and probably weighed about 85 pounds.
“There were a lot of people that came through to help her,” he said. “(FHF) is a community hospital, and it took the community to make her well.”
As two of the many Flagler 20/20 Society members, the Messers have committed to provide an ongoing annual gift of $1,000 to the Florida Hospital Flagler Foundation.
The ninth-annual Moonlit Gala on Sunday, Feb. 25, celebrated the work that FHF physicians, Flagler 20/20 Society members and other FHF Foundation sponsors, including gold level sponsors Sue and Peter Freytag, do to take care of the community through the FHF Foundation.
“It’s great that people come in to support our foundation, which in line supports the hospital, all providing funds for better quality health care in our community,” Executive Director/Chief Development Officer John Subers said.
Subers’ wife Margaret Subers, the 2018 Moonlit Gala chairwoman, welcomed guests at The Club at Hammock Beach for an evening of dining, speeches and humorous entertainment by guest speaker Jeanne Robertson.
Margaret quoted a Bible verse from Proverbs: “A cheerful heart is good medicine.”
Among the guests were Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly, Flagler County Commissioners Donald O’Brien and Greg Hansen, County Administrator Craig Coffey, Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland, Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom, Executive Director of the Education Foundation Joe Rizzo, Flagler Schools Superintendent James Tager, Flagler Schools Executive Director of Leadership Development Earl Johnson and Flagler Schools Chief Financial Officer Tom Tant.
“It’s a wonderful thing when you see a big group of people come together and give up their time and resources for a cause,” FHF CEO Dr. Ron Jimenez said.
John Subers said the estimated total raised at the gala is about $118,000.
The next FHF Foundation Moonlit Gala will be on Feb. 24, 2019.
