Johns Creek Rotarians will celebrate La Dolce Vita on June 27 by sweetening the lives of some local families with less to celebrate.  

Italian for "the sweet life," La Dolce Vita brings an evening of Italian cuisine, music and dancing to St. Marlo Country Club.

“We usually do a golf tournament, but because of the economy we thought that we would not get the kind of support we wanted, so we thought we’d do something different that was affordable,” said Chitra Subbarayan, president of the Rotary Club of Johns Creek.

“Even in a bad economy, you still have your family ... so we’re trying to celebrate families and the sweet life.”

Money raised will go to The Place of Forsyth County, a social services organization, and North Fulton Community Charities, which provides emergency assistance by connecting community members to resources.

About 60 people participated in last year’s golf tournament, which raised about $25,000, Subbarayan said.

But she noted many area Rotary clubs did not fare as well with their annual fundraisers, with some reporting a drop of about $6,000 from previous years.

Still, Subbarayan is optimistic about increasing participation this year.

“If we made it more like a date night, then people wouldn’t feel the financial pressure of attending something like this,” she said. “We kept the cost low and made it fun.”

Marc Litt, event organizer, said the Tuscan theme allows for a more affordable event, so “people would spend the dollars on the charities.”

Roswell-based Daza Dance will hold dancing demonstrations and contests. Litt said the studio will provide a feel similar to that of the “Dancing with the Stars” television show.

There also will be a silent auction featuring beach rentals, golf outings, artwork and airline tickets.

Singer and impressionist Maxwell Taylor, a friend of the Rotary Club, will provide most of the event’s entertainment.

“He lives in the Johns creek area ... he used to play with Earth, Wind & Fire,” Litt said. “He writes songs for a lot of the entertainers out there in the industry. He’s a great entertainer.”