Cami Gibertini Wins Honorary Mayor Of Brandon, ECHO & The Y Benefit

Cami Gibertini is Brandon’s Honorary Mayor for 2011-2012. Gibertini, senior vice president- retail branch manager for USAmeriBank, won this distinction by raising $40,000 for two nonprofits: the Emergency Care Help Organization (ECHO) and the Campo Family Y during the Brandon Honorary Mayors’ Race in June.
Barbara Schwabe, running on behalf of Center Place Fine Arts and Civic Association, raised $31,000.
The real winners in this annual contest are clearly the nonprofits.
The Honorary Mayors’ Race is sponsored by the Community Roundtable. Sam Creasman, president of the Community Roundtable said at the check presentations, “This was an excellent race run by two strong candidates who did an excellent job. They shocked me with the amount of money they raised given the economic climate.”
Gibertini said, “I want to thank everyone who gave money and supported both candidates in the Honorary Mayor’s Race. I am looking forward to serving as Honorary Mayor and having lots of fun this coming year.”
All three nonprofits chosen by the candidates serve the greater Brandon community and rely heavily on community support. Cindy Soffarelli, with Campo Y, said, “We are so thankful to Cami for all she did to support the Y. The families and children we serve will benefit greatly from this.”
Stacey Efaw, executive director of ECHO said, “Without this kind of community support, we could not assist 12,000 residents each year. We are grateful.”
Dawn Galia, with Center Place said, “Barbara worked her butt off for every dollar she raised, and we are grateful for all she did for Center Place.”
The Brandon Honorary Mayor’s Race is essentially a fundraising effort for area nonprofits. Each candidate is backed by a sponsoring organization. The Community Roundtable and the sponsoring organization each receive 10 percent of the money the candidate raises, and the remaining 80 percent is split between the nonprofits. Gibertini was sponsored by the Greater Brandon Kiwanis Club and Schwabe was sponsored by Center Place.
For more information on the Community Roundtable, please call 661-4350 or e-mail Roundtable2008@aol.com.