For 50 children, a two-wheel surprise

A shiny new bicycle was the last thing on the minds of 50 children from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Florida on March 29. But when they arrived at Orlando World Center Marriott Resort & Convention Center, that's what was waiting for each of them.

Host Hotels & Resorts Inc., owner of Orlando World Center Marriott, surprised the children with the new bikes at its annual general managers conference, which took place at the local property last month.

The 250 hotel executives at the conference competed during team-building activities for points to win prizes -- bikes to be given away to local children. The give-away was a surprise to the kids as well as the hotel executives.

"It was amazing," said Kevin Jacobs, Host Hotels' vice president of investor relations. " . . . Most of the general managers didn't know it was going to happen, so it was pretty emotional actually. . . . People started encouraging the kids to ride the bikes and so, before you knew it, the kids were riding the bikes all over the room."

Briefly . . .

The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida, the philanthropic arm of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, has given $71,000 to Hope and Help Center of Central Florida Inc. The money will establish the HELP (HIV Education, Linkage and Prevention) Project of Sanford, an outreach education, counseling and testing program for minority women at high risk of HIV and AIDS infection. . . .

Tri-City Electrical Contractors Inc. of Altamonte Springs awarded two $2,500 scholarships through its annual scholarship program to high school seniors who are the children or grandchildren of Tri-City employees. Each scholarship covers four years of undergraduate study, for a possible total of $10,000. . . .

The Orlando Magic Youth Foundation's Black Tie and Tennies Charity Gala generated about $500,000 this year, including a match of 50 cents for every dollar raised during the night from the McCormick Tribune Foundation. The 800 guests contributed in a variety of ways, including table sponsorships, auctions, valet service, karaoke sessions and autographs. Mirabilis Ventures Inc. of Orlando was the presenting sponsor this year. The money raised will go to Central Florida nonprofit organizations through grants to be awarded in July. . . .

Wharton-Smith Inc., a Sanford construction company, donated $250,000 to Seminole Community College through the SCC foundation's annual Dream Auction. The money will establish the Wharton-Smith Center for Construction in the school's new Center for Economic Development at Heathrow. The facility will provide education and training opportunities for students and professionals in the construction industry. . . .

Volunteers from Rogers, Lovelock & Fritz Inc., a Winter Park architecture, engineering and interior-design firm also known as RLF, recently participated in the Society of St. Andrew's Gleaning Network by teaming up with local high-schoolers to pick 2,000 pounds of citrus that would have gone unused. The oranges were then distributed by the society to local food kitchens and Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. The Society of St. Andrew is a national organization with an office in Orlando. . . .

The Nemours Foundation sponsored the Capitol Steps for Kids program at the 12th annual Children's Week in Tallahassee on March 27. The event, which promoted healthy, active lifestyles, had more than 2,000 children participate, all of whom received pedometers from Nemours. . . .

The Florida Public Relations Association's Orlando-area chapter raised about $25,000 at its annual Roast & Toast on March 3. The funds will go toward student scholarships for the Nicholson School of Communication at the University of Central Florida and the Organizational Communication Program in the Hamilton Holt School of Rollins College in Winter Park.