The Arizona Diamondbacks announced Saturday that the previous night's
Evening on the Diamond fundraising event at Chase Field raised a record
$1.7 million to benefit the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation. Overall,
the event has raised $8.2 million to be given back to Arizona charities
and nonprofit organizations since 2007 and has been ranked by the
Phoenix Business Journal as one of the largest fundraising events in the
Valley.
"Last night was a truly unforgettable evening for
everyone in attendance, and the community will feel the impact of our
attendees’ generosity for years to come," said D-backs' managing general
partner Ken Kendrick. "We are humbled by the efforts of so many who
made last night such a success, and we are grateful that so many people,
including our entire team and coaching staff, took the time to be a
part of it."
The theme of the gala was Teaming up for Education,
as the University of Phoenix served as the presenting sponsor and the
school’s president, Dr. Bill Pepicello, co-chaired the event with his
wife, Kris. A portion of the program geared specifically toward
education raised $100,000 from the attendees, with the University of
Phoenix matching an additional $50,000 for $150,000 in total donations.
Lee
Hanley, chairman and CEO of Vestar, received the Arizona Diamondbacks
Foundation Community Leadership Award for his philanthropic endeavors to
assist Arizona charities and the community throughout the Valley.
The
event's live auction raised more than $680,000 and featured a South
African hunting/photographic safari, a James Bond experience in London, a
vacation in the Bahamas aboard a 145-foot yacht, a Hawaiian vacation at
Kapalua, a five-day hunting expedition with Kirk Gibson, an Eddie
Matney-prepared personal dinner with D-backs legends and more than a
dozen current players as well as VIP trips to Napa Valley, the Oregon
coast and New York, where the winning bidder will get to dine with
members of the Trump family and take in the live finale of “The
Apprentice.”
More than 700 people were in attendance and enjoyed
dinner on the infield of Chase Field followed by a live performance by
Grammy Award winner Natalie Cole, who performed an hour-long set.
D-backs
president and CEO Derrick Hall also announced that the $30 million mark
has been reached in combined charitable giving between the D-backs and
the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation. Those organizations gave back more
than $4 million in 2011 and later this week will dedicate the 32nd field
in the Phoenix metro area, Justin Upton Field at University Park.
