Five Miami-Dade high school seniors have been awarded $1,000 college scholarships each for their exceptional community service achievements and high academic accomplishments. The awards were given at the first annual Stonegate Charitable Foundation Community Service Award & Scholarship luncheon.

Honored were Rainier Vicuna from Miami Palmetto Senior High School; Hope Wilcox from Miami Lakes Educational Center; and Joanne Jean-Baptiste, Kiana Rouchon and Karla Villalta from Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High. Scholarships also were awarded to five students each in Broward, Collier, Hillsborough, Lee, and Palm Beach counties for a total of $30,000.

“Stonegate Bank is proud to support students who are passionate about making a difference and dedicating their time and talent to helping others. We are passionate about recognizing the young leaders of tomorrow who endeavor to make lasting and powerful impressions on the communities we serve,” said Erin D. Knight, Stonegate Bank’s Miami market president and chairwoman of the foundation in a news release.

The winners were chosen by a committee comprised of the Stonegate Charitable Foundation board of directors and representatives of the school districts Stonegate Bank serves.

STRINGAVAGANZA

Help your child discover the joy of music at a summer string program at Allegro Music Center. For the second year in a row, violin instructor Aileen Tinley will teach the two-week intensive program that begins July 16 and runs through July 27. Tinley was recently certified to teach the Suzuki violin method and will be head instructor for the program at Allegro in the fall.

Stringavaganza includes violin instruction as well as music theory, music history and music games to reinforce what the children are learning. There are two streams in the program – one for children who have never before touched the violin, and a second group for kids who have been playing for at least a year or so.

“Surprisingly, there are very few Suzuki instructors in Miami-Dade county,” said Phil Berberian of Allegro Music Center. “We hope to help fill this void, now that one of our most successful and popular teachers has become certified.”

His father, Manuel Berberian, writes a very interesting music blog that includes information about the importance of music education and why the violin is best suited for children. You can read more at blog.allegromusiccenter.com. For more information on classes contact Allegro Music Center, located at 6869 SW 8th St., at 305-740-9400, ext. 305, or visit www.allegromusiccenter.com.

CONGRATULATIONS

Ronald Lieberman, newly installed president of the Rotary Club of Miami Dadeland Pinecrest, was named Rotarian of the Year at the club’s installation dinner held recently.

A lawyer, Lieberman has been a member of the club since 1988 and previously served as its president in 1992-1993. The award was based on his leadership in the club’s membership recruitment and his chairmanship of the program committee.

Lieberman just returned from a week in Bangkok, where he attended the annual Rotary International Convention with Rotarians from all over the world. At a club meeting he reported on Rotary’s latest efforts to end poverty and eradicate polio from the planet.

THE ORANGE GALA

Almost 600 guests, a record attendance, attended the 11th annual Orange Gala hosted by the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce to honor corporate and individual sponsors for their long-term commitment to fostering diversity in South Florida. The event was held at the Hilton Miami Downtown Hotel.

Steve Haas was honored with the Wells Fargo Business Person of the Year Award and Daniel Spring received the Hilton Miami Downtown/Resorts Worldwide Special Recognition Award.

In the corporate awards, IKEA was given the AT&T Business of the Year Award and the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority was honored with the Office Depot Foundation Non-Profit Organization of the Year Award.

“What really stood out this year, in addition to the record attendance, was the diversity of the guests,” said Steve Adkins, president of the MDGLCC, in a release. “It really was a community-wide inclusive event with a tremendous showing of support from gay-friendly and gay-allied individuals and organizations.”

The gala festivities featured a silent auction with more than 100 items up for bid. The autographed basketball from the 2012 NBA Champion Miami Heat players, donated by the Hard Rock Café Miami, fetched the highest bid. It was followed by Source Event’s “Legendary Danube” cruise from Budapest to Prague.

Guests were entertained by Circ X, an interactive performance troupe; a dance routine by choreographer Pioneer Winter; and guest emcee actress Sally Bondi. All were brought to their feet by the Disco-inspired promotional dancers from “The Donkey Show,” the pop-up club opening July 13 at the Ziff Ballet Opera House.

“It was definitely a record-breaking year for us in terms of attendance,” Adkins said. “We completely took over the Hilton’s ballroom, foyer and adjacent rooms to create an environment that was celebratory in addition to providing a format for networking -- which is at the very core of what the Chamber is all about.”