Atlanta Research Dinner Raises Close to $200,000

BMW Golfers Against Cancer held the first annual "Atlanta Dinner for Cancer Research" the evening of September 28th. The purpose of this dinner was to raise funds for research as we continue our march toward a cure. This fun and entertaining event builds on the success of the New York Dinner for Cancer Research, which started in 2002 and the Houston GAC Tournament and Gala, which commenced in 1997. The Atlanta dinner was held at the historic Piedmont Driving Club on Piedmont Park, and was hosted by John and Shanan Ray of Heritage Capital and Hank and Nancy Schoeler of BMW-North America. The hosts were joined by a committee of friends, including leaders from Accenture, Alogent, Morgan Keegan and Southern Living, who supported the event with enthusiasm, auction items and incredible generosity.

It was a wonderful evening, filled with entertainment, delicious food and exciting silent and live auctions. Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Harpist, Nella Rigell, played beautiful music as the back drop for the cocktail hour and silent auction. The emcee was the multi-talented John O'Hurley, aka J. Peterman on Seinfeld. In addition to John, we were honored to have baseball legend Henry "Hank" Aaron with us for our first annual dinner here in Atlanta.

Auction items included a new BMW Z-4, Continental BusinessFirst travel across the globe and resort trips to California, Texas, Florida and North America.

The Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University has been designated as the primary beneficiary of the Atlanta Event this year. Winship doctors Rein Saral and Sagar Lonial both attended the dinner and spoke about the importance of events like the Atlanta Dinner for Cancer Research.

The evening was a huge success and great fun. Almost $200,000 was raised for cancer research before matching grants! This evening was made possible by the wonderful people (committee members and guests alike) that shared their Tuesday night to make a difference in the world and put us closer to finding a cure. We thank our Atlanta friends for their support and look forward to seeing everyone in 2005.