Brady Bunch Star and Fleetwood Help Best Buddies

By Wendy Osher

Mick Fleetwood, Maui Now file photo courtesy "Aloha for Japan Celebrity Carwash".

A community fundraiser for Best Buddies on Maui features an all-star lineup of celebrity judges and decadent desserts.

The 2nd Annual “Life Is Sweet” dessert-tasting event takes place from 2 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 19, 2011 at The Shops at Wailea.

Wailea’s top chefs will compete to create a “Signature Dessert for 2011.”  Some of the most renowned chefs from south Maui’s famous resorts and restaurants will also create samplings of savory entrees.

Celebrity hosts and judges for last year’s premiere event were Maureen McCormick and Barry Williams (a.k.a. “Marcia & Greg Brady” from the classic 1970s television sitcom The Brady Bunch), and musician Mick Fleetwood of the rock group Fleetwood Mac.

Event organizers say McCormick and Fleetwood plan to be back again for this year’s event, along with other surprise guests.

All proceeds from this “Life Is Sweet” event will help support Best Buddies Hawai‘i and their local programs to assist developmentally-challenged youth in island schools.  Tickets are $50 per person, and can be reserved online at www.bestbuddieshawaii.org.

Shops at Wailea, Maui Now file photo courtesy Windermere Foundation.

Best Buddies Hawaii, initiated on Maui by Michael McCormick in 2008, has already established successful programs on Maui at: Kalama and Lokelani Intermediate Schools; at Baldwin, King Kekaulike, Lahainaluna and Maui High Schools; and at Horizon Academy and Seabury Hall.

The event will be held at the lower outdoor courtyard of the shopping plaza, with live Hawaiian music to set the atmosphere, and a silent auction with deals on island products and services.

The “Life Is Sweet” fundraiser is sponsored by the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort and Spa and The Shops at Wailea.