Alonzo and Tracy Mourning host The Crown Royal Black Lounge to kick off Irie Weekend

It's always a party in Miami if DJ Irie is spinning his beats on the turntables! This past weekend, DJ Irie celebrated his 7th Annual three-day action packed charity event called "Irie Weekend" and he also introduced his recently founded Irie Foundation. To kick off the weekend's festivities, Alonzo and Tracy Mourning [pictured on the left] hosted an exclusive party at Mokai in South Beach. Guests who attended "The Crown Royal Black Lounge" enjoyed complimentary cocktails and music by celebrity DJ Jazzy Jeff. All proceeds raised throughout the weekend benefited the Irie Foundation and the Make-A-Wish of Southern Florida. Throughout the evening, celebrities joined DJ Irie to kick off the weekend in true Miami fashion. I spotted Reggie Bush, Suzie Ketchum and Jonathan Vilma showing their support for this great cause. Check out my pictures from The Crown Royal Black Lounge:

Above Left: DJ Irie and Reggie Bush striking a pose on the red carpet before entering Mokai. Above Right: DJ Irie and I during the kick off party. Did I mention it was also DJ Irie's birthday this past week? In honor of his birthday, Plum TV in Miami Beach presented him with a beautiful cake pictured below. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

The Irie Foundation seeks to improve the lives of South Florida youth through educational and extracurricular opportunities that may not otherwise be available to them. With a particular emphasis on the arts, the foundation's ultimate goal is to improve the graduation rate among the young people it serves. Middle school students will be mentored and encouraged to remain in the program through high school and will receive scholarship money towards college or trade school tuition. For more information, visit the foundation's website.

Above Left: One of my favorite former University of Miami football players, Jonathan Vilma, attended the kick off party on Thursday night. Vilma currently plays for the New Orleans Saints [a.k.a. this year's Super Bowl champs]. GO CANES! Above Right: The fabulous Suzie Ketchum who stars in the VH1 reality show called Basketball Wives. Watch Suzie every Monday evening at 8 p.m.
For more information on DJ Irie or to learn about his upcoming events, visit his website and follow him on Twitter. I'd also like to introduce you to Rudy Duthil and Lizmarys Duthil [pictured on the right] of the Results Driven Agency (RDA), producers of The Crown Royal® Black™ Lounge event." If you missed this exclusive party on Thursday, follow @theCrownLifeMia on twitter to learn about future Crown Royal® Black™ Lounge events in South Florida. You never know who you'll bump into in Miami so stay connected and check out these local events. See you at next year's Irie Weekend and remember to always drink responsibly! Here's a video recap from the Crown Royal Black Lounge...

Intercontinental Miami hosts a kickoff event for the 17th Annual Make-A-Wish Ball

Granting the wishes of young children and adolescents is an undeniably rewarding experience. That's why I decided to check out a special kickoff event honoring the upcoming 17th Annual InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Southern Florida. Held each year at the downtown landmark and attended by more than 250 of South Florida’s leading philanthropists, this exclusive preview event celebrated the annual Ball, to be held on Saturday, November 5, 2011. I was very excited to hear that the money raised this year is expected to push the organization’s all-time fundraising total in 17 years above $10 million. That is an incredible accomplishment! During the kickoff event, the “Three Amigos”— Norman Wedderburn, President/CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida, Shareef Malnik, Ball Chairman and proprietor of The Forge Restaurant | Wine Bar, and Robert Hill, Ball Host and General Manager of Intercontinental Miami [all pictured above]— unveiled key details, such as the theme of this year's gala. I'll give you a hint: black and white (masks are a must)! It was also announced that the Ball’s live auction will be emceed by Burn Notice star Gabrielle Anwar. Did I mention DJ Irie will be spinning his beats? Sounds like a ball to me! Make sure you buy your tickets early and save the date for this celeb studded event!
Above: Beatrice Clancy, Dr. Sanford Ziff [Founder of Sunglass Hut and Philanthropist] and Lady Monica Heflter. Past celebrity guests have included Paula Abdul, Pamela Anderson, Kim Kardashian, Scottie Pippen, Venus and Serena Williams [just to name a few]. To secure your seat for this prominent social event, call 888-773-9474 ext. 318.

Above Left: Miami philanthropists, Diane and Aristotle Ares, who always look fabulous! Above Right: Shareef Malnik, Ball Chairman and proprietor of The Forge Restaurant | Wine Bar, along with the beautiful Tara Solomon, Principal of Tara Ink.

Above: Karneval Masque Atelier showed guests their Venetian styled masks for this year's ball. If you purchase one of their customized masks, you'll be happy to know that 20% of the profit from your purchase will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. For more information, feel free to email info@karnevalmasque.com.