DETROIT, April 28, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More
than 600 guests were given the "red carpet" treatment when they
attended the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute's 34th Annual
Dinner Saturday, April 16, at the
Michigan Motion Picture Studios in Pontiac, Mich. The signature fundraiser raised
more than $2.4 million, thanks to the
generosity of many sponsors and supporters. The event benefits
cancer research programs at the Karmanos Cancer Institute.
This year's Annual Dinner Chairs were Paula and Steve Kiefer. Steve Kiefer is vice president, Global
Purchasing and Supply Chain at General Motors. This is the sixth
consecutive year that General Motors has been a major sponsor. In
addition to having the company's executive leadership serve as
chairs, the GM Foundation once again made a significant grant of
$400,000; and GM donated the first
retail production 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Collector's
Edition. This vehicle was auctioned at the Barrett-Jackson
Collector Car Auction in Palm Beach,
Fl., earlier this month. The winning bid brought in
$170,000 with 100 percent benefitting
Karmanos Cancer Institute.
"Paula and I are honored to be among the distinguished list of
GM leadership who have chaired the event," said Steve Kiefer. "Our successful collaboration
helps to support the innovative research underway at Karmanos,
which advances treatments and survival outcomes for those affected
by cancer."
It was announced at the gala that the chairs for Karmanos'
35th Annual Dinner will be GM Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer Mary Barra and her husband
Tony Barra.
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
The 34th Annual Dinner black-tie event included a cocktail
reception, seated dinner, program, live entertainment, an exciting
raffle and live auction, along with a few surprises.
A red carpet welcomed guests to the motion picture studios. The
cocktail reception displayed iconic GM vehicles from the movies
including cars from the "Transformers" film series such as
Bumblebee the Chevrolet Camaro and Sideswipe the
Concept Corvette Stingray. Other concept movie cars featured
included the Cadillac Ciel from "Entourage" and the Cadillac
Sixteen from "Real Steel." Set pieces and props from the
Transformers 4 film served as décor, treating guests to a
behind-the-scenes look at a real movie set.
Attendees had a chance to win one of four raffle prizes donated
by Somerset Collection including: a $5,000 Louis
Vuitton shopping spree; $5,000
Burberry shopping spree; $5,000
Salvatore Ferragamo shopping spree;
and dinner for 10 at The Capital Grille.
Following the cocktail reception, guests were guided into the
elegant dining area. A surprise performance by local artist and
former American Idol contestant Jena Irene
Asciutto entertained the crowd. The program, emceed by WDIV
Local 4's Consumer Investigator Hank
Winchester, recognized Annual Dinner Chairs Paula and
Steve Kiefer, and former Chair of
the Karmanos Cancer Institute board of directors, Chuck Becker, for his years of service. This is
the third consecutive year that Hank
Winchester has emceed the event.
The live auction, presented by General Motors, included the
following exciting VIP packages: Indy 500; Major League Baseball
All-Star Game; Country Music Awards; Men's New York Fashion
package; Cadillac V-Series Racing package; dinner for 10 with
Steve Kiefer; and a Shinola City
Clock. As part of the evening's auction, GM donated VIN #002 of the
2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Collector's Edition, which also
sold for $170,000. The live auction,
led by auctioneer Spanky Assiter,
founder of Assiter Auctioneers and president of the National
Auctioneers Association, raised $644,500.
The festivities continued with live entertainment by "The Royce
& Jenn Band" and dancing through
midnight.
"This year's Annual Dinner was another outstanding event, thanks
to the leadership of Chairs Paula and Steve
Kiefer and the incredible support of GM and all of our
generous sponsors and supporters," said Gerold Bepler, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of
Karmanos Cancer Institute. "The dedicated team of cancer experts at
Karmanos never stop finding ways to improve treatment options for
those battling this disease. Supporting cancer research helps us
continue our work to discover and advance targeted treatments that
are better tolerated and effective in controlling this disease so
patients can survive and enjoy life with their loved
ones."
OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Host Sponsor for the Karmanos Cancer Institute's 34th Annual
Dinner was General Motors. Presenting Sponsor was Gallagher-Kaiser
Corporation. Gala Sponsor was Edw. C. Levy Co. Executive Sponsor
was Lear Corporation. Venue Sponsors were: The Linden D. Nelson
Family, The John Rakolta Jr. Family, and The Robert Taubman
Family.
Entertainment Sponsors included: AVL Americas; Credit Union ONE;
and Johnson Controls. Dinner Sponsors included: ABC Group; Crain
Communications; The Delphi Foundation; erae Automotive Systems;
Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn
LLP; Kenwal Steel Corp.; Elizabeth and
Michael Kojaian; NFI Advisors Inc.; Piston Group; PRG;
Quicken Loans; Tenneco, Inc.; UAW- GM Center for Human Resources;
and Worthington Industries.
Media Sponsors included: Magazine Sponsors, HOUR Detroit and
dbusiness Magazines; Television Sponsor, WDIV Local 4; and Radio
Sponsor, News/Talk 760 WJR.
Platinum Level Table Sponsors included: Barton Malow Co.; Fisher
Dynamics; Inteva Products; Magna; McLaren Health Care; Penske
Corporation/Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix; and TI
Automotive.
For more information about the Annual Dinner or cancer services
at Karmanos, call 1-800 KARMANOS (1-800-527-6266) or visit
www.karmanos.org.
About the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer
Institute
Located in mid-town Detroit, Michigan, the Barbara Ann Karmanos
Cancer Institute, a subsidiary of McLaren Health Care, is one of 45
National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers
in the United States. Karmanos is
among the nation's best cancer centers. Through the commitment of
1,000 staff, including nearly 300 physicians and researchers on
faculty at the Wayne State University
School of Medicine, and supported by thousands of volunteer and
financial donors, Karmanos strives to prevent, detect and eradicate
all forms of cancer. Its long-term partnership with the WSU School
of Medicine enhances the collaboration of critical research and
academics related to cancer care. Gerold
Bepler, M.D., Ph.D., is the Institute's president and chief
executive officer. For more information call 1-800-KARMANOS or go
to www.karmanos.org.
About General Motors
General Motors Co.
(NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30
countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's
largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its
subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the
Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel,
Vauxhall and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its
subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety,
security and information services, can be found at
http://www.gm.com.
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SOURCE Karmanos Cancer Institute