Many thought it couldn’t happen. Others were in disbelief. But the weekend of May 16 & 17, 2008, South Florida was graced with the presence of one of America’s most beloved music legends, Carly Simon! Her first performance in Miami ever, Carly stepped on stage with her son, Ben Taylor, and her magnificent 5 piece band to a standing ovation. She overcame her fear of flying and her legendary stage fright to perform a historical 70 minute set at the beautiful Gusman Theater in Downtown Miami. The next day, Carly was back to witness her family opera “Romulus Hunt” be performed by an established local cast and crew. When brought on stage to say a few words, she was moved to tears to which the night’s audience couldn’t help but cry with her.

This amazing 48 hours was made possible by the countless long hours of the many hardworking CHARLEE staff, FIU participants, performers, and volunteers that burned the midnight oil to make this a reality. To all of you, you know who you are, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being with us every step of the way. It took 3 years to bring the production of “Romulus Hunt” to the South Florida stage and only 3 months of learning the overwhelming concert business to bring Carly Simon here, to which at times it looked like it wouldn’t happen and yet, by blood, sweat and tears, it successfully did!

To all our supporters, donors, and the Carly Simon fans (with many who flew thousands of miles to join us), we thank you for your contribution to CHARLEE and be proud to know that your funds will help our children to be safe, secure and be in a loving family environment.

To all our hardworking staff and volunteers, without your brains and muscles, this production would not have happened! But most importantly, we thank you for your precious time – time that could’ve been used to sleep a little more, take a longer lunch, or play an hour longer with your children – instead, you took your time to help our team and even though time cannot be given back, our gratitude to you is endless.

And finally, a big thank you to Carly Simon for the blessing of her presence to our invaluable cause. Raising 1,000 foster children is a daunting task. Her gift of music together with providing CHARLEE the opportunity to express the message of hope and renewal for our kids, is priceless.

With much appreciation,
Marilyn March, Development Director of CHARLEE and our team.

p.s. For those who missed this once-in-a-lifetime event, click here to check out our Carly Simon Weekend slideshow here.