Miami Children’s Health Foundation’s Wine, Women and Shoes is the perfect formula for a fun, fashion-filled day for women to celebrate the miracles that happen on a daily basis at the hospital. More than 600 ladies donned their highest and funkiest heels at the JW Marriott Marquis in Downtown Miami to help raise more than $600,000 while shopping in the event’s marketplace and sipping on wine.

MCHF holds a number of fundraising events annually that help the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital give children the chance to achieve their dreams. This event is unique to the women of South Florida.

Behind the scenes of this glamourous event you could find the University of Miami’s Public Relations Experience Program (PREP) working with the foundation to keep things running as smooth as possible and gain hands-on experience. PREP students assisted photographers on the red carpet, managed media check-ins, and gave live updates to the foundation’s social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

“I was definitely nervous for this event, as it was my first time working with PREP, but getting to shadow and assist a photographer was something I probably wouldn’t have had the chance to do somewhere else,” said Sydney Hubbard, senior in the School of Communication.

The PREP students have worked closely with Miami Children’s Health Foundation for more than four years at many events, including the Diamond Ball, 5K walk/run, and the annual golf tournament.

“Each event always has an amazing theme and a new story about how the hospital changed a family’s life,” said Caroline Ashcraft, PREP veteran. “I love working the events because it’s such a worthy cause.”

PREP students were split working both Wine, Women and Shoes and UM’s own PhilADthropy at the School of Communication. In the coming weeks, PREP students take on preparations for the WGC Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral.