Playa Linda Aruba Draws High Bids During Fundraising Gala

The opportunity for a week stay at the Playa Linda Beach Resort in Aruba received a high level of interest at the Summit Medical Group Foundation’s (SMGF) 2017 annual Gala and Auction, a fundraising event held recently at The Grove in Cedar Grove, New Jersey on May 6. 

The event featured host Seth Meyers, host of Late Night with Seth Meyers. During the Gala, the Playa Linda excursion was among numerous silent auction items that drew wide interest and high bids.

“The event went extremely well. We raised over one million dollars, and it was thanks to everyone who participated, including the Playa Linda Beach Resort. The Aruba trip was a popular item, and one of the highest silent auction bids,” comments SMGF Executive Director Joe Finocchiaro.

The Summit Medical Group Foundation has a long history of similarly successful events featuring celebrity hosts, with strong participation from donors as well as attendees in recognition of the invaluable year-round work the Foundation accomplishes. SMGF is dedicated to building a healthy future through education, research and wellness promotion with initiatives including free wellness screenings and scholarships. The Foundation is part of the Summit Medical Group, New Jersey’s oldest and largest private multispecialty physician group.

“We have great respect for what is accomplished by foundations such as SMGF, especially when efforts are directed at ensuring the well-being of the whole community,” comments Peter van Grinsven, Playa Linda Beach Resort General Manager. “It is a sentiment that is shared by our guests and members who, even while vacationing, give back and have generously donated to local foundations we have supported. When presented with the opportunity to extend that support to our greater community, including a region of our own members, we were happy to do so in this particular instance.”

A healthy and happy community is integral to the Playa Linda mission of “a home away from home” for its members, guests and employees. Together with its picturesque environment, various amenities and spacious accommodations, Playa Linda most often receives praise for the hospitality and friendliness of its staff, and for the attraction of returning to a place every year, year after year, and enjoying the company of fellow members who have also become close friends.