Velvet underground: April 24-30

Party for a good cause -- and by good cause we don't mean your chances for booty.

Beer Pong Tournament. Photo: Alex Kolyer

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By Lesley Abravanel

Despite recession murmurs, Miami is still rich with charity events such as the $500 per person Driven to Dine event on Saturday benefiting the Florida Heart Research Institute. Kicking off with a sunset cocktail at Don Shula's swanky Indian Creek home, Driven to Dine will take participants to an undisclosed restaurant for a heart-healthy multi-course meal. Participating restaurants include Atrio, Cacao, Capital Grille, Casa Casaurina, Escopazzo, Chef Allen's, Mancini's, Neomi's, Ortanique, Table 8, Touch, Oceanaire, Setai, The Forge and Chef Allen's. The Shula reception starts at 6:30; from there, a limo will take you to the restaurant by 9 p.m. For tickets, call 305-674-3020.

More charitable cocktailing -- or chugging, rather -- takes place on Saturday afternoon at JJ's American Diner, 1450 S. Dixie Highway in Coral Gables, where from 2-5 p.m., a Beer Pong Tournament will benefit the South Florida Make-A-Wish Foundation. For an entry fee of $60 per team of two (100 percent of proceeds go to the charity), you can attempt to become the Beer Pong champ. Entry fee includes two team T-shirts and one pitcher of draft beer. Prizes will be awarded to the top four finishing teams. For those who just want to watch, it's $15 and includes a drink ticket. Call 954-967-9474, ext. 308.

Soon-to-open (May is the word on the street) Aero Bar in the old Lola/Nerve space next to Mokai has nothing to do with airliners or planes, according to co-owner Tony Guerra, who told us he "came up with the name because of aerodynamics -- the feeling of elevation." Guerra also describes the 5,000-square-foot space as The Jetsons meets Alice in Wonderland. Even trippier than the modern, contemporary decor of wood veneer panels, wood floors, metals and a lapis lazuli main entrance is that the room is oval shaped. "There are no corners in the club," Guerra tells us. "Some say it looks like a spaceship." Guerra says he was inspired by sitting at a round table at dinner where, ''nobody has priority seating, and everybody is equal." There's also a built-in runway for fashion shows and aspiring dancers. The smaller Global Room is done in organic materials and sports a woodsy feel. State of the art lighting system comes from China.

Music video and film director-producer Rudi Dolezal, who is working on documentaries on salsa and architect Morris Lapidus, is in Miami this week and will be at a party at The Fifth on Saturday, hosted by Veronica De Laurentiis (daughter of Dino and mother of Giada) celebrating the launch of his Miami company, an extension of his very successful European production company, DoRo Productions/DoRo-Films.

Finally, there's nothing more charitable these days than being kind to the environment, From 6-9 p.m. Saturday Luminaire X (4040 NE Second Ave., Miami) "Goes Green with MAM, Smart Car and the Green Broker.'' The event features Carl Hildebrand, the self-professed ''Green Broker,'' who consults people on green living, and free eco-friendly cocktails by VeeV Spirits. A dollar from all bottles of the stuff purchased will be donated to preserve the rainforests. Drink the Kool-Aid and save the rainforests. Sweet charity!