FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Everything was “Beautiful” for members of the Robert B. Lochrie Jr. Founders’ Club attending a reception in their honor at the home of James and Lynn LaBate. This prestigious membership group supporting the Broward Center for the Performing Arts was named for Lochrie, the founding and long-time chairman of the Broward Performing Arts Foundation.

 A brief rain shower just before guests arrived did not dampen anyone’s spirits, and the party spilled out onto the patio overlooking the seventh hole of the Rees course at Coral Ridge Country Club. Jim LaBate, a longtime board member of the Foundation, welcomed guests, thanked them for their support and spoke of the important work being done by the Broward Center in the field of arts-in-education. A special treat was a cameo performance by Monet Sabel, star of the Slow Burn Theatre Co.’s production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. 

The Founders’ Club comprises donors who have made cumulative gifts of $100,000 and above to the Broward Center and who maintain their membership with annual gifts starting at $10,000. In citing the growth of this group, Lisa Kitei, president of the Foundation, reported that it was established in 2008 with 12 patrons and today it has 200 active members. The reception is an annual event to thank them for their generous support.

For more than 40 years, the Broward Performing Arts Foundation has been instrumental in providing support for the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. The Foundation was established in 1985 to deliver the required private funding to build the Center and create an endowment to sustain its operations. Over the years, the Foundation has successfully raised funds to support the Broward Center’s innovative and diverse programming, arts-in-education initiatives, community engagement activities and capital projects. In 2021, the Foundation completed a $30 million capital campaign to renovate and restore the iconic Parker Playhouse. Prior to this, it raised $60 million to complete the Encore! capital campaign to renovate, renew and revitalize the Broward Center.

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About The Broward Center for the Performing Arts:  One of America’s premier performing arts venues, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts presents more than 850 performances each year to more than 600,000 patrons, displaying a wide range of exciting cultural programming and events. Guest experiences at the Broward Center include the all-inclusive Spirit Club Level, the Nicklaus Children’s Health System Intermezzo Lounge, special events in the Huizenga Pavilion and innovative classes and workshops for all ages at the Rose Miniaci Arts Education Center. With one of the largest arts-in-education programs in the United States, the Broward Center serves more than 100,000 students annually. The Broward Center also manages The Parker, an iconic Fort Lauderdale venue, the Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center on the campus of Nova Southeastern University and the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center in Miami-Dade County. The Broward Performing Arts Foundation, Inc. receives and maintains funds to sustain, develop and secure the future of the Broward Center. The Broward Center is located at 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale, FL. For more information, visit BrowardCenter.org.