Gala marks 35 years with successful night of fundraising

The Hutch Holiday Gala celebrated its 35th anniversary with a successful night of fundraising for the Hutchinson Center at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel on Saturday, Dec. 4.

During a segment of the live auction called “Help the Hutch,” the Bezos family encouraged guests to close a $10 million challenge to fund the Center’s Program in Immunotherapy. More than 800 community and business leaders attended the Gala and met the challenge.

The Bezos family “Help the Hutch” challenge was first announced at the 2009 Hutch Holiday Gala and gained momentum over the last year. The dollar-for-dollar match was offered for the final time at the 2010 Gala—doubling each guest’s donation in order to complete the challenge.

Total Gala fundraising figures will be announced soon in Center News Weekly.

An impressive array of silent, live auction and raffle items drew lively bidding, generating additional funds for the Center. Among the items were a National Geographic cruise to the Arctic or Antarctica, Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Ga., and a “Cars of the Stars” package, including private jet and tour/meet-and greet of Jay Leno’s private car collection.

Comedian Kevin Nealon of “Saturday Night Live” fame served as emcee; TV’s John Curley was the evening’s auctioneer.
 
Hosted by the Grace Heffernan Arnold Guild and the Hutch Holiday Gala Board of Directors, the Gala is the largest fundraiser benefiting the Center. In three and a half decades it has raised more than $70 million in support of research.