Wine & Dine raises $51K for Legacy Fund

Stephen Lewis, the president and CEO of the West Orange Chamber of Commerce, presented a $51,066.74 check to the Windermere Legacy Fund during the Windermere Town Council meeting Tuesday, April 14.

The check was 25% of the proceeds from the annual Windermere Wine & Dine.

“We can all agree it may have been a little colder than we were used to, but it certainly didn’t stop our community from showing up in full force,” Lewis said. “This event would not have been possible without the town’s partnership and the vision of the original founders who created something so special for this community. I’m especially grateful for your trust in allowing the West Orange Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the West Orange Chamber, to take the reins and continue building on that legacy, ensuring the event remains meaningful and impactful for years to come.”

The foundation took over the event after the initial group of seven Windermere Elementary School parents who created Windermere Wine & Dine were looking for the right organization to host the annual event. 

The funds raised from Windermere Wine & Dine will directly support the work of the West Orange Foundation and the Windermere Legacy Fund, “allowing us to continue investing in programs and initiatives that strengthen and serve this community we all call home,” Lewis said. 

CT Allen, a member of Windermere Town Council and one of the founders of Windermere Wine & Dine, said it was difficult to pass the leadership of one of the most popular Windermere events to another organization, but she knew Lewis and the West Orange Foundation were going to be “great stewards of an event we put in blood, sweat and tears and a lot of love for 12 years.”

The Windermere Legacy Fund is going to help residents fund charitable initiatives they have and find important by applying for grants through the fund.

Sports court gets slam dunk

The Windermere Town Council unanimously approved a variance to permit the placement of a sport court in the front yard of a single-family residence where the Land Development Code requires sport courts to be located within the side or rear yard. 

The variance will allow George and Paige Couros to construct a 1,083-square-foot basketball court in the front yard of the property. 

The addition of the sport court results in a total impervious surface area of 9,196 square feet, or about 44.1% of the total project area, which is less than the 45% permitted for residential properties. 

The front yard is the only area on the property where the sport court in its current size and configuration could practically be placed, resulting in the need for the variance. 

The Development Review Board unanimously voted in favor of recommending approval of the variance with the conditions that no lighting or sound projecting equipment shall be installed as a component of the proposed sport court and landscape hedging shall be maintained in a matter that adequately screens the sport court from view from the public right-of-way and adjacent properties. 

George Couros, the owner of the home, said his family moved from Windermere, Canada, to Windermere, Florida, because of the focus on community in the town. 

“As a kid, I played basketball in my yard, and we want to have that experience for our kids, and we just honestly love it here, and we’re very appreciative,” he said.