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A grand day of Volleyball and fun at the Ocean Manor

L to R: Lorenzo White, Ocean Manor owner Frank Talerico, Andre Rison and Michael Irvin

Bamboo Beach volleyball tournament serves local charities

From Society Scene | Sun-Sentinel Company Photos by Wayne Koss

April 7, 2008

Bamboo Beach Tiki Bar and Cafe recently hosted a fun-filled volleyball tournament featuring some of South Florida's most beautiful bartenders. The girls who were being coached by Hall of Fame football player Michael Irvin, and legendary football star, Andre Rison, got the crowds cheering as they spiked and volleyed in the hopes of winning thousands for their chosen charity.

As hundreds of guests packed the beachfront bar located inside Fort Lauderdale's Ocean Manor Resort, the football players pumped up their respective teams and quipped with the crowd. In the end, The Bamboo Beach girls were victorious, but both teams actually won. They decided to split the proceeds evenly between both charities. PROPEL, People Reaching Out to Provide Education and Leadership, a Boca Raton-based charity serving at-risk youth and the Playmaker Foundation, a children's charity started by Michael Irvin, both received checks for $3,000.

"Supporting children's charities is very important to me," said Frank Talerico, the owner of Bamboo Beach and the event organizer. "I am very fortunate to have this beautiful beachfront resort and I want to create events that will help our community prosper. The girls did an amazing job and we hope that the funds raised will help these organizations continue with their admirable work."

Talerico and the owner of Shooters, John Wile, donated the event's purse.

"We are very grateful to Bamboo Beach for inviting us to be one of the participating charities," said Tolliver Miller, executive director of PROPEL. "These funds will help us move forward with our current program; implementing character training in the Palm Beach County School System."

"Frank has been very supportive of all of my charitable endeavors," said Irvin. "And I am most appreciative. This was an amazing event and Andre and I had a blast coaching the girls, who were outstanding sports!"

From the pages of April 2008

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-0408star-quiz,0,3501108.triviaquiz

Where did Johnny Carson have a Fort Lauderdale getaway?

A. Ocean Manor Hotel, Galt Ocean Mile
B. Mount Vernon Manor on the Isle of Venice
C. Pier 66

Frank Talerico, Heather C. McCalla and Andre Rison

Clubland: Mixing sand with celebrity

By Heather C. McCalla | Special Correspondent

February 1, 2008

Photo by Wayne Koss

Pulling up to the valet at the Ocean Manor Resort, a crowd cheers as grandiose lights shine down on me. For moi? Not so much. It's for the apple-red Ferrari convertible in front of me, which has up-and-coming Brooklyn rapper CK driving and singer Cassandra Lucas of Changing Faces inside, part of an MTV video.

Strolling past screaming fans and through the lobby in my Jackie Onassis sunglasses, I search for the Bamboo Beach Tiki Bar and a cold beer to soothe a painful hangover.

As I'm ordering, Andre Rison walks in. (Remember the football player who had his house burned down by then-girlfriend Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes from TLC?) He's a regular along with other famous local football greats Michael Irvin and Lorenzo White. In fact, Rison's there so much he even hosts events such as this Sunday's Super Bowl Party (White is co-hosting) and a Spring Break Tour on Saturday March 9th. (Mark your calendars: It includes a volleyball tournament in which the Shooters girls take on Bamboo Beach's female bartenders.)

As the down-to-earth athlete makes his rounds, shaking hands and chatting it up with a Konvict Records producer, I catch a glimpse of the four-leaf clover tattoo on his neck. (Hmm, I wonder if he had that before the fire.)

"Fort Lauderdale is growing rapidly, but everyday places like this ... that's hard to come by," Rison says. "I've been all over, and this is one of the best places in the world. People could learn from this bar."

Though he could easily be mistaken for Tobey Maguire, don't approach Aaron Lombardo for an autograph. The Hallandale Beach resident is actually a cover for his sister's boyfriend, Doobie Tyler Moore, guitarist for the Mary Tyler Whores. Though the local group has disbanded, Moore is still recognized when going out (perhaps it's the bald head covered with tattoos).

"As a rock star, I can sit and smoke a cigarette and have a drink with my girl. It's off the beaten path here, so I don't get overwhelmed or bothered like I would at other places like downtown [Fort Lauderdale bars]," Moore deadpans.

The large tiki hut allows access to the pool and private beach, and it's the only Fort Lauderdale beach bar to have both side-by-side. Because of that, serving bottles and glass is out; only clear plastic cups are being used, which is comically reminiscent of frat parties.

While some beach bars attract tourists, this hidden gem finds Fort Lauderdale residents Kristin Dara and Kathleen Hunt frequenting nightly.

"It's like going to the bar in your best friend's basement: Sometimes there are random people you don't know, but usually you know everyone," says Hunt, a Rhode Island transplant with a peeling sunburn. "The owner, Frank, knows everybody that comes here, and he's all about making sure everyone has a good time."

The ladies do a Grape Bomb shot (grape-flavored vodka and Red Bull) and firm up plans to hit up Voodoo Lounge next and return to Bamboo Beach later. Dara, with a girl-next-door baby face, admits to having a penchant for body shots.

"You never know what's going to happen here, and you never remember much at the end of the night, which is why I like it!"

Junior Achievement Networks on the Beach

Bamboo Beach at the Ocean Manor Hotel & Resort recently hosted a monthly Junior Achievement Professional Connection.

Sponsored by AT&T , the Professional Connection's newest Corporate Annual Sponsor, guests received two drinks and a variety of appetizers for a $15 donation. The Junior Achievement Professional Connection is the networking organization that helps support the 1,200-plus-classroom volunteers, who teach Junior Achievement programs to students in Broward and South Palm Beach counties. The next event is March 12 at Pazzo's in Fort Lauderdale .

Junior Achievement of South Florida was founded in 1959 and has served reached 17,472 students throughout Broward and South Palm Beach Counties in 2007. Programs span grades K-12, with age-appropriate curricula designed to teach elementary students about their roles as individuals, workers, and consumers and to prepare middle grade and high school students for key economic and work force issues they will face.

In addition to bringing the free enterprise system to life in the classroom, Junior Achievement programs teach young people the importance of staying in school. The volunteer time commitment is just five to 10 hours over a five to 10 week period, plus a two-hour training session.

Dramatically enhancing its ability to teach and inspire students in Palm Beach and Broward Counties, Junior Achievement of South Florida has embarked on an ambitious, cutting-edge educational endeavor involving two new programs: JA BizTown and JA Finance Park.

The mandated programs will be housed at JA World at the Huizenga Center for Free Enterprise, which will be located on the North Campus of Broward Community College . The 59,500- square-foot facility, the largest of its kind in the world, will be dedicated to the effective and practical teaching of business, entrepreneurship, and personal finance for 5th and 8th grade students.

Storefront sponsors of JA BizTown and JA Finance Park currently include: Adorno & Yoss, LLP; AutoNation , BankAtlantic, Broward Community College, City Furniture, Construction Association of South Florida; DHL Express, Florida Power & Light Co., Holy Cross Hospital, Miami Dolphins , Publix Super Markets Charities, S. Davis & Associates, P.A.; Spherion Corporation , State Farm Insurance , and the Sun-Sentinel Children's Fund, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation.

Bamboo Beach Tiki Bar & Cafe
at the Ocean Manor Hotel & Resort
4040 Galt Ocean Mile Dr.
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Tel:954-566-7500

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Bamboo Beach volleyball tournament serves local charities

Clubland: Mixing sand with celebrity

Junior Achievement Networks on the Beach