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Press Release from the City of St. Petersburg
Andretti Foundation Gala to Benefit Children of St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg Florida, March 21, 2007 -- The Michael Andretti Foundation will host a gala event on Friday, March 30 to benefit a number of children's charities in the St. Petersburg area. The Gala begins at 7 p.m. and will be held at the Mahaffey Theater at the Progress Energy Center for the Arts. Tickets are $150 each. Among the drivers expected to attend the event are Marco Andretti, Bryan Herta, Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, Danica Patrick, David Brabham, Stephan Johansson, Duncan Dayton, Ryan Briscoe and Bill Auberlen.
The event will feature a live painting performance by renowned motorsports artist Bill Patterson and the live auction will include a Danica Patrick racing suit, a VIP INDY 500 experience and an original piece of artwork from acclaimed glass artist Dale Chihuly. A silent auction will include a number of unique motorsports items donated by teams competing in this year's Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg such as a brick from the original Indy track, a tour of the Andretti Winery, a meet and greet with Vincent Lecavalier and Lightning suite tickets, and Devil Rays Suite Tickets.
"It was important to all of us that we find a way to give back to this great community," said Michael Andretti. "We wanted to do something for the children of St. Petersburg and we were inspired by the work Racing for Kids has done with local organizations. We hope this can become an annual event in St. Petersburg."
Mayor Rick Baker agrees.
"Andretti Green Racing has contributed much to our community, and brings St. Petersburg wide international exposure each year during the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg," said Mayor Rick Baker. "We express our gratitude to the Michael Andretti Foundation and the other local organizations for hosting this gala and helping to raise funds for our community's many charitable causes."
Presenting Sponsors for the evening include Progress Energy and Dex Imaging.
"We are proud to support the Michael Andretti Foundation and to be a part of such a worthwhile event," said Jeff Lyash, president and chief executive officer of Progress Energy Florida. "Our community grows stronger when we work together to support our children."
Dan Doyle, Jr., President of Dex Imaging echoes the sentiment:
"DEX Imaging is delighted to join with Progress Energy and the Michael Andretti Foundation to support these worthy causes in our community. Through corporate funding and leadership, we can help to create a brighter future for our children."
The local charities that will benefit from the Gala include: The Bayfront Baby Place, All Children's Hospital Pediatric Trauma Center, the Pinellas Education Foundation, and Children's Education Programs at The Arts Center and the Salvador Dali Museum.
For more information and to purchase tickets, call 727-562-5634.
About The Michael Andretti Foundation:
Founded in 2003, the Michael Andretti Foundation was formed after the retirement of racing legend Michael Andretti. His retirement from racing full-time provides him the opportunity along with the support of the racing community, including drivers, teams, sponsors and fans to generously help others. It allows his legacy the chance to help the charitable purposes of others. The Michael Andretti Foundation is a 501(c)(3) foundation organized to help people who have shown need and to promote programs for better health, education and welfare of America's children and citizens.
About the Benefiting Organizations:
- The Arts Center inspires, educates, and engages a diverse population in the creation of contemporary visual art. The Arts Center offers extensive studio arts classes at all levels across a wide variety of media, and exhibits outstanding recent work by local, regional, national and international artists through an extensive program of rotating exhibits created by student, emerging, mid-career, and established artists.
- All Children's Hospital is a regional referral center for the highest level of pediatric specialty care and one of the top 25 children's hospitals in the nation.
- As Pinellas county's only trauma center and home to Bayflite, Bayfront Medical Center provides high quality, responsive healthcare to the people of West Central Florida and beyond, despite any person's ability to pay.
- The Pinellas Education Foundation, a key partner in St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker's education initiatives, created and administers the Doorways Scholarship program. The Foundation is the country's leader in the establishment of scholarships for children whose parents would struggle to provide financial support for college.
- The Salvador Dali Museum presents the most comprehensive, pre-eminent collection of Salvador Dali's work in the world and is the top rated museum in the American South by the Michelin Guide.
About Progress Energy:
At Progress Energy, the success of the communities we serve is a top priority. That's why we support organizations and programs that focus on improving the quality of life in the communities where our employees and customers live and work.
About Dex Imaging:
DEX imaging is one the leading providers of office equipment in the United States. The company sells and services superior office imaging products like the award-winning Bizhub line by Konica Minolta. DEX donates one third of its annual profits to local charities within the communities it serves.
