Lead Sponsors Join Bellevue Rotary to Raise Funds for PACE at Annual Club Auction
Contact:
Cheryl Engstrom, for PACE, 425.487.0682, 
BELLEVUE, WA. (Nov 13, 2006) – The Rotary Club of Bellevue announces today that all lead sponsorship slots for the Rotary's annual Dinner and Auction, slated for April 28, 2007 at the Meydenbauer Center, have been filled. The sponsors are Comcast, which will be the lead sponsor, the law firm of Williams Kastner & Gibbs PLLC, American Family Insurance, and Kemper Development Company. The theme for the auction is Raising the Curtain, which appropriately reflects their desire to shine a bright light on the performing arts and the new 2,000-seat venue coming to Bellevue in 2009.
Comcast has committed to the lead sponsorship at the "Executive Producer" level. "This major financial commitment by Comcast is a demonstration of their commitment to supporting not only Bellevue businesses, but the expansion of performing arts in our Eastside communities," says Robert Ward of Wedbush Morgan Securities, chair of the 2007 Rotary Foundation Dinner and Auction.
At the "Producer Level", Williams, Kastner & Gibbs PLLC; American Family Insurance; and Kemper Development Company each donated $15,000.
"These companies have committed at the highest level and we could not be more grateful for their support," says Ward. "We are honored to be the recipient of their philanthropy and we are confident that this will be a memorable event and an outstanding fundraising opportunity for PACE as well as the Eastside."
Proceeds from the annual auctions benefit the Bellevue Rotary Foundation, which distributes approximately $125,000 each year to local and international human services organizations. This year The Rotary Club of Bellevue will distribute the net proceeds of the auction to the PACE Campaign. "We made PACE our sole beneficiary because we believe so strongly in the importance of this project," says Ward.
Additional sponsorship opportunities are available at the Director level ($5,000) and Assistant Director level ($2,500). Tony Ventrella, former television sportscaster and current host of Comcast's Local Edition, along with Richard Foley, formerly of KOMO-TV news and currently a member of the PACE Board of Directors, will be the celebrity hosts announcing guests on the red carpet at the event. Auctioneers for the event are long time actors/directors David Silverman (Monsters, Inc., 2001, The Simpsons Movie, 2007) and Matt Smith (Scent of a Woman, 1992, Sleepless in Seattle, 1993).
"With these outstanding film industry members as the auctioneers and emcees for the event and PACE as the recipient, we anticipate this year's auction will be the best we have ever had," says Ward. Tickets for the event will go on sale after the holidays. For more information, visit the website at www.bellevuerotary.com.
About the Bellevue Rotary Foundation:
Rotary is a service organization of business and professional men and women worldwide, who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and work toward world understanding and peace. The Rotary Club of Bellevue, established in 1961, is one of the oldest and largest in the state and now has more than 200 business and community leaders committed to service on a local, national, and international level.
About Performing Arts Center Eastside:
Performing Arts Center Eastside is a 2,000-seat premier regional center for the performing arts. Its mission is to enrich cultural life with a wide diversity of live entertainment, arts, and education. PACE will stimulate the arts region-wide; attract new audiences; heighten arts awareness and education; provide a performance home for select area arts organizations; and serve as a cultural center for the Eastside.
PACE plans to open in 2009 and it will be located in downtown Bellevue on the corner of NE 10th Street and 106th Avenue NE. The $100 Million Capital and Endowment Campaign has raised nearly $16 million.