Bellevue Rotary Club Auction Exceeds Expectations;
Raising the Curtain Raises Over $500,000 for PACE
Contact:
Cheryl Engstrom, for PACE, 425.487.0682, 
BELLEVUE, WA. (May 3, 2007) – With a record-breaking 640 guests in the audience, the Bellevue Rotary, at its annual auction held Saturday, April 28th, exceeded its expectation to raise $500,000 for the Performing Arts Center Eastside (PACE). The annual auction, held this year at the Meydenbauer Center, also benefits the Bellevue Rotary Foundation, which distributes funds each year to local human services organizations.
Although the exact amount will not be known for several days, Bob Ward, chairman of the Bellevue Rotary Auction states, "we are certain that we have exceeded our original goal and, with the incredible generosity of the evening's attendees, we anticipate the final tally will be impressive."
Bellevue civic and community leaders attending the 2007 Bellevue Rotary Auction demonstrated their commitment to PACE during the "Fund-A-Need" section of the live auction. Chuck Lytle, co-chair of the Campaign For PACE and PACE board, member kicked off the bidding with a $100,000 challenge to match dollar for dollar any donation. Immediately, CEO Dave Katri of Clark Nuber met the challenge with the announcement of a donation from Clark Nuber shareholders of $100,000. Within minutes, Betty Freeman, who, along her husband Kemper, co-chairs the Campaign for PACE with Karen and Chuck Lytle, announced a personal donation of $100,000 to PACE. Chuck and Karen Lytle then made a second $100,000 Challenge gift for the audience to match. Jane Hague and Ed Springman offered up a $25,000 Challenge at the $1,000 level, which inspired 40 $1,000 gifts. After all the bids were in the audience had donated more than $600,000.
Three silent auctions and one live auction raised additional money for PACE and the Bellevue Rotary Foundation. The Finale auction featured 17 "Theatre Frenzy" ticket items and 28 auction packages, some bringing in as much as $4,900." PACE is overwhelmed by the generosity and enthusiasm expressed by the people who attended this spectacular event," said John Haynes, executive director and CEO of PACE. "The Bellevue Rotary members did an outstanding job of not only Raising the Curtain, but also raising the bar in terms of their annual auction. The Bellevue Rotary Auction moved us closer to 'the tipping point,' at which PACE will become not just possible for this community, nor merely even probable, but inevitable."
"Along with the incredible community leaders who gave of both their time and money at this event, we also want to thank the PACE Board of Directors and Act One Guild for all they did to make the 2007 Bellevue Rotary Auction a huge success," said Linda Bonomi, director of development for PACE.
"We are so delighted for the entire Eastside community, "said Bob Ward. "Not only will the arts community be greatly enhanced by the addition of PACE, but dozens of humanitarian service organizations will benefit from Bellevue Rotary Foundation grants. We thank our Red Carpet Celebrity Hosts for the event, Tony Ventrella of Comcast and Richard Foley, PACE director and founding member of the Brothers Four, and all of our sponsors for their extraordinary support. We especially thank our major sponsors, Comcast; the law firm Williams Kastner; American Family Insurance; and The Bellevue Collection."
About the Rotary Club of Bellevue:
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 2010 and it will be located in downtown Bellevue on the corner of NE 10th Street and 106th Avenue NE. The Campaign For PACE has raised over $18 million.