Every 16 minutes, someone in this country ends his or her life intentionally, and suicide is now the second leading cause of death among young people.
In recognition of this startling statistic, the Dunedin Waterside Rotary Club is hosting its American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Benefit from 7:30 p.m. to midnight tonight at The Venue nightclub in Clearwater (pictured left). The funds generated from the event help AFSP continue their education, research and outreach.
The event features an array of appetizers from Chef Rob and entertainment from Joey Dee and the Starliters, who perform their 1961 No. 1 hit "The Peppermint Twist" — plus performances by Tommy The Saint, Dr. Marty Bialow singing Frank Sinatra hits and DJ Gemini from WFLZ-93.3 FM. $3,000 in gift certificates to local hotels, spas, restaurants, boating adventures and clubs will be given out in a prize drawing.
The Venue is at 2675 Ulmerton Road, Clearwater. Admission is $15. For more information on AFSP, visit afsp.org, and for information on the Dunedin Waterside Rotary Club, visit dunedinwaterside.com.
If you're looking for something different to do during the day, stop by Interior Motives Gallery and see Obots by Oren Estell. The the large-scale found-object robot-like sculptures are pretty dern cool and surprisingly functional as home furniture.
Artist Estell rebuilds and refinishes old pieces of furniture, musical instruments and antique throwaways and converts them into works that sometimes reach up to 6 feet tall. They contain parts and pieces of time; old photographs, letters, trinkets, and gadgets adorn rich polished wooden drawers collages with ornate details of antique furniture. On display through Dec. 5. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Interior Motives is at 1110 Central Ave., St. Petersburg.727-898-6061.
This article appears in Nov 11-17, 2010.