Damion Matthews
The elegant Four Seasons Hotel recently hosted the 10th annual San Francisco Gala of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), and Donna Sachet was there to report back to us about this important evening.
by Donna Sachet
The outer room was filled with celebrity-affiliated silent auction items, and the ballroom sparkled with huge white orchid centerpieces and twin video screens which were used throughout the evening.
The crowd inside certainly included those people often called the “A-Gays,” but also a generous component of our straight allies, including Kenneth Cole of shoe fame, Paul Pelosi , Denise Hale, Beth Townsend, Vanessa Getty, and Joy Venturini Bianchi . At our table, Mark Calvano and Joel Goodrich made one of the most generous live auction bids of the evening.
Our real impetus for attending, however, was to join in honoring a long-time friend, Peter Poulos, who ran a special events company when he lived here and generously supported many of the early AIDS organizations, particularly amfAR.
He was introduced on stage by fellow Greek and former Mayor of San Francisco Art Agnos, who lovingly detailed Peter’s commitment to the cause and hilariously called him the hardest working Gay Greek since Alexander the Great!
Rex Lee of the television show Entourage served as host, and emcee and supermodel Maggie Rizer shared a very personal story of her own father’s struggle with AIDS. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised, and hope was rekindled during a truly special evening.
Photos from the evening were provided by Drew Altizer and Jessica Brandi Lifland for Drew Altizer.
Photos: Drew Altizer [drewaltizer.com]
Author: Donna Sachet [donnasachet.com]