The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) hosted the twelfth annual Bay Area Hope Gala on Saturday evening at The Ritz Carlton, San Francisco to raise funds for diabetes research. The money raised by the Hope Gala helps JDRF fund research that will lead to cures for millions of children and adults living with diabetes.
Photos from the event can be viewed on the Photographer’s website >
The 2010 Living & Giving Award Recipients
Honorees, Franklin “Pitch” and Cathie Johnson; Hope Gala Co-Chairs Jenny Bolt and Amy Lewis along with the Honorary Co-Chairs Ute and Bill Bowes together with Mavie Mendelson converged to make the evening a record-breaking success. Bill Draper presented the Living & Giving Award to the Johnsons. More than 400 patrons were in attendance.
Pitch & Cathie Johnson Receive the JDRF Living & Giving Award for 2010
Pioneering Venture Capitalist and the Founder of Asset Management Company Pitch & Cathie Johnson received the 2010 JDRF Living & Giving Award. Each year the Living and Giving Award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional support and dedication to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Pitch and Cathie Johnson give true meaning behind the philosophy of living and giving. Together they devote substantial resources and heartfelt energy to a wide variety of charitable organizations in the Bay Area, including JDRF. Mr. Johnson is the founder of Asset Management Company, a leading Silicon Valley venture capital firm that has played an integral role in funding life science companies that engage in crucial research and development central to finding a cure for type 1 diabetes.
The Living & Giving Award is a glass sculpture created by artist, James Minson. It is the signature piece of the Hope Gala.
The Tribute Video
Guests
Notable guests and also presenters included Honorary Co-Chairs Ute & Bill Bowes, Kevin Sharer, Amgen Chairman of the Board, CEO and President and JDRF President and CEO, Alan Lewis. Past honorees in attendance Saturday included Pamela & Stephen Mittel, Dr. Michael German, Robert Klein, John & Nancy Lasseter, Charles & Ann Johnson, Dr. Saleh Adi and Dr. Bruce Buckingham.
Stephen and Pamela Mittel
Guest began the picture perfect spring evening with cocktails and silent auctions including a barrel room dedicated to the fine wine sales. The barrel room was also the site of a special vintner reception. Later, several Bay Area wineries as part of Hope Gala Vintner Program poured their wines during the multi-course dinner at sponsored tables.
Live Auction
The Emcee for the evening was Co-Anchor, CBS 5 Eyewitness News Dana King. The live auction proved very exciting conducted by Randy Parnell. Guests competed for exotic trips to destinations including New York City and Hawaii; an entertainment package to American Idol Season 9 Finale had guests clambering to win One lucky winner will soon enjoy a traditional Egyptian dinner for eight in the Los Angeles home of the Consul General of Egypt. The winner of the
Jenny Bolt and Janice Dickenson
Hooray For Hollywood package will be welcomed to LA by the original supermodel Janice Dickinson with a makeover, lunch and photo shoot. Next up, tickets to The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and also The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The winner will also have the chance to produce a song with two-time
Dana King and Clay Williams
Grammy award-winning producer Bob Cutarella. The package includes a song written for the highest bidder, time in the studio and a finished single! Special thanks to John Lasseter whose contribution of one line in the script of the upcoming animated film, Cars 2 brought the house down.
Just as desert was to be served, Pitch Johnson was presented with – and quite surprised by a birthday cake while the room of 400 sang the
Franklin Pitcher Johnson
traditional birthday cheer. Pitch celebrated more than one milestone this evening.
Life with Diabetes
Gala patrons were introduced to two Bay Area families living with type 1 diabetes through video. Both families know the daily struggles of diabetes; both families support the Hope Gala but in different ways and the Parker and Pasha families along with every family and individual living type 1 diabetes will benefit from the research the Hope Gala funding provides.
Meet Savannah Pasha and her family.
Meet Cameron Parker and his family.
Fund A Cure
In her remarks, Melanie Bradley, sister of Co-Chair Amy Lewis, spoke personally of living with diabetes since childhood and her wish for the future seemed to inspire the bidding during the evening’s finale, Fund A Cure — an auction in which donations are made directly to fund diabetes research.
Alan Lewis, Judith Lewis, John Lasseter, Nancy Lasseter, Pitch Johnson and Cathie Johnson
After dinner, guests enjoyed port poured by Cellar360 while the Big Bang Beat kept the party dancing past midnight.
Chad & Amy Lewis and Judith & Alan Lewis
The Hope Gala raises funds to find cures for type 1 diabetes and its complications. Nearly 24 million Americans live with diabetes and its complications. It is a disease that kills one American every three minutes. The cost of diabetes in the US exceeds $174 billion annually. As many as 3 million Americans live with type 1 diabetes including 75,000 people living in the Bay Area. Type 1 diabetes is a disease which strikes children and adults suddenly and requires multiple injections of insulin daily or a continuous infusion of insulin through a pump. Insulin, however, is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation.
Special Thanks
JDRF extends special thanks Hope Gala 2010 Co-Chairs, Jenny Bolt and Amy Lewis and also to the Hope Gala Committee including Alisa Bekins, Grazia Bennett, Mara Bonelli, Laura Cavanaugh, Lori Escobar, Shelly Jensen, Pammy Mittel, Breda Murphy, Diana Nelson, Teresa Olsen, Lynn Pieper,
Nancy and John Lasseter
Kristen Stimpert and Beth Weesner.
JDRF expresses its heartfelt thanks to the 2010 Hope Gala Sponsors: Amgen, Asset Management Company, JPMorgan Chase, BNY Mellon, Jenny Bolt, Barbara & William Edwards, Franklin Templeton Investments, Charles & Ann Johnson, PepsiCo., Abbott Diabetes Care, Barclays Capital Inc., Kadima Foundation, Greg & Tracy Johnson, KPMG LLP, Steve & Marilyn Kraft, Morgan Stanley, Tom Parker & Michelle Griffin, Peer Music, Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP, Affiliated Computer Services Inc., Alloy Ventures, The Conifer Group, LLC, diaTribe/Close Concerns, Inc., Jennifer & Sean Jeffries, Karen & Jeff Jordan, , John & Nancy Lasseter, Rebecca & Christopher Lien, Meredith & Dan Meade, Karen & Joe Niehaus, George & Elyse Pasha and Meredith and Dan Meade.
With gratitude, JDRF acknowledges these silent auction donors: ABC7-KGOTV, Adriana Cox, Anatoly Lemenov Message Therapy, Anchor Brewing Co., Angel Island Ferry, Arrowood Vineyards & Winery, Artesa Vineyards and Winery, ArtVisions Portraiture, Balloons Above the Valley, Bardessono Napa Valley, Bird School of Music, Blankiet Estate, Bloomingdale’s, Blue & Gold Fleet, Bobbi Brown
Janice Dickenson, Morgan Bulloch
Cosmetics, Jenny Bolt, Bottlenotes, Carol Brown, Burke Williams, Beyond the Spa, Calistoga Ranch, The Caprice Restaurant, Carmen Policy, Castello di Amorosa Winery, Cellar360, Christopher Salon, Citrus Boutique, Cliff Lede Vineyards, Cline Cellars, Marie Cochran, Mary Cooper Harkin, Cottage Grove Inn, Crown & Crumpet, An English Tea Salon,The Dailey Method – Jill McIntosh, Demo Sports Bicycle, Rental, Duckhorn Vineyards, Dutch Henry Winery, Felix the Cook, Ferrari-Carano Vineyards & Winery, Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley at East Palo Alto, Frazier Family Estate, Friends of JDRF’s Toast for a Cure, Gary Danko, Gloria Ferrer, Guaymas Authentic Mexican Cuisine, Handlery Union Square Hotel, Peter Haubold, The InterContinental Hotel Monterey The Clement, Pitch and Cathie Johnson, The Kleid Group, Kunde Estate Winery, Lasseter Family Winery, The Lodge at Tiburon, Meadowood Napa Valley MedEsthetics Rx, Joseph Melone at Groove Salon, Meredith and Dan Meade, Milvali Salon, Mina Group, Nalle, Paradise Hamburgers & Ice Cream, PlumpJack, Pride Mountain Vineyards, Prima Palate, Quail, Lodge Resort & Golf Club, Quince, Robert Mondavi Winery, Robert Young Estate Winery, Round Pond, The Royal Hawaiian, A Luxury Collection Resort, Sally Shaps Pilates, Sam’s Anchor Café, SarahSofia, Servino Ristorante, Silvestri Vineyards, The Slanted Door, Dr. Igor Sklovskiy, Southwest Airlines, Alex
Craig, Anne and Cameron Taylor
G. Spanos Family, St. George Spirits, The St. Regis Atlanta, Stanford Athletics department, Thomas Fogarty Winery, Trentadue Winery – Leo and Evelyn Trentadue, URTH SKIN SOLUTIONS FOR
Jennifer and Ken Kroner
MEN, Vivian, Bella Nails, W Seattle Hotel, Barbara Waxman, Founder of the Odyssey Group, Kimberly Welch, Whitehall Lane Winery & Vineyard, WineDoctors, Jamie Wolff and y & i Clothing Boutique. 2010 Hope Gala Vintner Program: .Azur Wines, Blankiet Estate, Chateau Boswell, Dutch Henry Winery, Frazier Family Estate, Gloria Ferrer, HUNNICUTT, Lasseter Family Winery, Nalle, Outpost, Patz & Hall, Pride Mountain Vineyards, Robert Mondavi Winery, Robert Young Estate Winery, Round Pond Estate, Silvestri Vineyards, Thomas Fogarty Winery, Trentadue Winery, Truchard Vineyards and WineDoctors.
Thank you to the individuals and companies for their generous gifts of time, talent, in-kind services and funding: Big Bang Beat, Rob Budinger, Matt Dunn, Tarah S. Evans, , Michelle Griffin, Shelly Jensen, Dimitri Kielbasiewicz, Julia & Bob Iantosca, Angela Lagos, Rebecca Lien, Chris Lien, Katy McCauley, Mia McKee, Margaret Lum, Daphne Melendez, James Minson, Mika Miranda, Betsy Musick, Alexandra Nicandri, Jenny Randall, Kathi Rawnsley, Nancy Riley, Amy Schoew, Kristine Scott, Jim Spadoni, Meg Starr, Jeff Stokes and The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco.
About JDRF
JDRF is a leader in setting the agenda for diabetes research worldwide, and is the largest charitable funder and advocate of type 1 research. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Through the on-going generosity of Hope Gala patrons and supporters, JDRF provided nearly $101 million to diabetes research in 2009, bringing the JDRF cumulative total of research funding to more than $1.4 billion since its founding in 1970. The Foundation funds more than 1,000 centers, grants and fellowships in 22 countries throughout the world, including more than 40 human clinical trials.
Betty Burnham and friend
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