Damion Matthews
The American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter lit up the night during its annual Paint the Town Red Gala at San Francisco City Hall. The spectacular evening dazzled the Bay Area philanthropic and corporate community, bringing together more than 450 guests in a show of support for Red Cross disaster readiness and relief efforts in the Bay Area.
The festivities commenced in the City Hall Rotunda with a cocktail reception featuring hors d’ oeuvres, a vodka bar sponsored by GREY GOOSE® Vodka and select wines courtesy of Gallo Family Vineyards. The cocktail reception sparkled with a vibrant crowd of fashionable guests mingling and taking advantage of the opportunity to support the Red Cross by bidding on silent auction items, including “celebrity survival kits” donated by local personalities like Captain “Sully” Sullenberger, Senator Dianne Feinstein and “Best Sommelier in America 2009” Michael Engelmann.
Guests were them treated to an elegant three-course dinner catered by Paula LeDuc Fine Catering in the North Light Court. The gourmet spread was complimented by a rousing live auction where guests bid on fabulous items including a five-day guided Kenyan safari, an Australian adventure, a Miro lithograph, and a dinner of a lifetime prepared by Ryan Scott and other former contestants of Bravo TV’s “Top Chef.”
After dinner, the evening carried on as guests danced the night away to the music of Livewire. Dominic Phillips Event Marketing staged the City Hall venue to create an elegant ambiance for a perfect evening of celebration.
The 2010 Paint the Town Red Gala committee was co-chaired by Roberta Economidis and Kelly Murphy, both long-time supporters of the American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter. Also celebrating were committee members: Gwyneth Borden, Natasha Chalmers, Ali Cox, Chris Contos, Kelly Grimes, Elizabeth Grillos, Krista Hankinson, Macaire Kilkenny, Ye- Hui Lu, Sarah Lewis, Lindsey Lucero, Kathryn Pellegrini Inglin, Lillian Phan, Kristina Pollak, Michelle Ritchie, Adam Steinhorn and Jessica Swan.
Among some of the event’s notable guests were representatives from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Madagascar, Mauritius, Peru, the Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, the Slovak Republic and the United Kingdom, along with American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter board chair Susan Atherton and CEO Harold Brooks
This year’s gala was sponsored in part by generous donations from lead sponsors Citibank and Wells Fargo.
About the American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter
As a community-based, humanitarian organization, the American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter provides relief to those affected by disasters and empowers individuals in our community to prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. By helping people in the Bay Area learn how to take care of their families and neighbors, the Red Cross strengthens the community and makes it ready for all types of disasters, including home fires, earthquakes, wildfires and health emergencies. Call 1-888-4-HELP-BAY (1-888-443-5722) or visit www.redcrossbayarea.org to learn more.