Robert Hisaoka contacted me Sunday to let me know the 2009 2nd Annual Joan Hisaoka "Make A Difference" Gala will be held at the Mandarin Oriental Washington D.C. on Saturday October 24. In an extraordinary announcement, Hisaoka revealed that the James Beard award winning chef Eric Ziebold of the hotel's CityZen will close the restaurant for the evening and will dedicate his entire staff to the four-course dinner. The dinner will include wine pairings from recent RAMMY winning sommelier Andy Myers.
The black tie event will also include a reception, dancing, and silent and live auctions. This year, the beneficiary will once again be the Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts, a 501(c)(3)
organization, located in Washington, DC. The Smith Farm Center offers week-long retreats, workshops,
support therapy, an artist-in-residence program, a healing arts gallery and nutrition education. In the past year, they have been able to expand their services to reach almost 10,000 people.
Joan Hisaoka, founder of Hisaoka Public Relations, was 48 when she lost her battle with
cancer on May 14, 2008. To honor her memory and her dream of assisting those living with cancer, the
1st Annual Joan Hisaoka “Make a Difference” Gala raised $700,000. Joan was a close friend of mine and advisory board member for Foodservice Monthly. Our magazine won the first Joan Hisaoka Associate Member of the Year award given by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington in the honor of her dedication to the industry and her unparalleled integrity and spiritual being.
The Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery is an integral part of the work of the Smith Farm Center.
The number of women served through the community navigation program has doubled – requiring more staff and volunteers to meet this critical need. The funds raised from this year’s gala will allow the Smith Farm Center to assist even more people living with cancer in the Washington, DC area, and to expand their facilities to “serve more and serve better”.
Hisaoka recognizes the economic downturn has caused everyone to reevaluate their financial giving.
However, he also knows many of us have had our lives touched in some way by cancer and people living with cancer cannot wait for an economic recovery to receive support.
The sponsorship opportunities for this year’s gala are enclosed in the attached forms that can be access via this pdf: Download Make a Difference Gala Packet. While these are for cash financial support, there are opportunities for auction items as well - those special events and benefits only restaurants and chefs can provide.
Dianna Lopez of BRAVO! Events by Design can be reached by phone at 202-543-7388, or via e-mail at makeadifference@aboutbravo.com.
Stay tuned as we learn of more news of what should be the premier dinner of the Fall 2009.
foto: Ris Lacoste and Heather Chittum (center) donated a dinner for last year's live auction and then helped the auctioneer bring in the proper winning bid.
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