HRC Cleveland 15th Annual Gala Dinner, Auction & Dance

Please join us for the 15th Annual HRC Cleveland Gala Dinner, Auction &
Dance on Saturday, March 29, 2008, at the Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key
Center.

Join us and Applaud Excellence!

Presenting Sponsor:

Jason Stuart

The MC for the event will be actor and comedian JASON STUART. Jason has become one of the top openly gay
performers in the country. And is now touring with his stand up show THE LOOKING FOR
MR. RIGHT SHOW. He was born in the Bronx, New York and raised in Los Angeles,
California by a very crazy and lovable Jewish family. His show has been seen all over the
country, entertaining crowds in comedy clubs, colleges, and gay events to sell out
performances!

 

Ted Strickland

The Honorable Ted Strickland,
Governor of Ohio, will join us for the evening and deliver the keynote address.

 

 

 

 

 

Eric Alva

Eric Alva, 36, a native of San Antonio, was sworn into the U.S.
Marine Corps when he was 19 years old after attending community college. He graduated from
Southwest High School in 1989.

Alva served in the Marine Corps for 13 years, and was a member of the 3rd Battalion of the 7th Marines. At the age of 22, he was deployed to Somalia, and later he was stationed in Japan and Iraq. He re-enlisted following the Gulf War.

On March, 21, 2003, Marine Staff Sgt. Alva was traveling in Iraq in a convoy to Basra with
his battalion — where he was in charge of 11 Marines — when he stepped on a landmine,
breaking his right arm and damaging his leg so badly that it needed to be amputated. Alva
was awarded a Purple Heart and received a medical discharge from the military.

Alva, the first American wounded in the war in Iraq, has been on "The Oprah Winfrey
Show" and various TV news shows and has appeared in People magazine and major
newspapers.

Alva, who was a distance runner before his injury in Iraq, continues to run and ski with a
prosthesis. Currently, he is studying for a degree in social work in San Antonio, where he
lives with his partner, Darrell, to continue, he says, to work for “social justice.”

 

Joe Solmonese

As president of the Human Rights Campaign, Joe
Solmonese has demonstrated that he has the political, strategic and communications skills to
make the organization a powerhouse both in Washington and around the country. Under his
leadership, the National Journal has rated the organization the second most successful
interest group in all of Washington during the 2006 election.

 

Sponsors

Presenting Sponsor

 

VIP Sponsor

 

After Party Sponsor

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cleveland Indians

 

 

Tickets are available at BoxOfficeTickets.com. Click "Buy Tickets", then
use the search term HRC Cleveland to find the event site.

 

Ticket prices:

General: $185.00
VIP: $235.00
Students: $75.00

Additional event information will be posted here as it becomes available. Please check back
often!

For more info, or to inquire about being a table captain, sponsor, volunteer, or to donate
to the silent auction, please e-mail craigfoti@yahoo.com or call 1-800-790-2538.

Valet parking is available at the hotel for $20.00.

Self-parking is available in the Memorial Parking Garage at 300 St. Clair for $6.00.

 

Silent and Live Auctions

Get ready to bid on a large array of popular items in the annual silent and live auction,
including art work, antiques, furniture, and get-away packages. Your support of the auctions
last year helped us to raise over $25,000!

An Autographed Guitar from the 2007 True Colors Tour!

 

Valued at $5,000, this Ibanez AW Series acoustic guitar was played by Cyndi Lauper on the
2007 True
Colors Tour. It is autographed by Cyndi Lauper, Rosie O'Donnell, Margaret Cho, Debbie
Harry, and Vince Clark and Andy Bell (Erasure). A true collectors item!

 

Glass Sculpture by Corbett Reynolds

 

A beautiful and unique glass sculpture valued at $4,000 by Columbus artist Corbett
Reynolds. Standing over 7', a set of 14 sculptures will be featured in
"Encore" at Wynn Las Vegas when the new hotel opens in early 2009.

 

A Mitchell Gold Chair

Mitchell-Gold has again graciously donated a beautiful chair from their collection.

 

A LeBron James Autographed Basketball!

A basketball signed by Cleveland's own superstar,valued at $1000. Donated by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

 

Two Movado watches!

A men's Fiero Movado Watch valued at $2595!

 

A men's Museum Dial Movado Watch valued at $795.

Donated by Movado.

 

A 2-night stay at Ten Thousand Waves, a luxury mountain spa resort near Sante Fe, NM, valued at $1200.

 

A leather jacket worn by John Walsh of "America's Most Wanted", valued at $1,000. Donated by John Walsh.

 

A framed original print valued at $750. Donated by the Rosenberg Studio.

 

 

Other items include:

• Basket of treats and toys for the dog and the dog lover from Dogma Bakery in Arlington, VA.
• Pair of toile sconces from Julia Gray,
  Ltd.
• A hand-woven table runner from Kelly
  Marshall.
• A snowman cookie jar and a doggie bowl from HRC.
• A wine cellar with a variety of great wines donated by the HRC Cleveland Steering
  Committee.
• A "Killing Time" necklace from Minou Fou.
• An XM radio!
• Five-pounds of chocolates donated by Hershey's!
• A cherry wood bowl with decorative stitching from George Peterson of The Circle Factory.
• An amber necklace from Dorothy's.
• Gift certificates from Laurice's Skin Care in Pepper Pike!
• ...and much more!

 

We will be updating this page regularly until March 29 with more items in the silent and
live auctions. Check back often!

 

If you would like to donate an item to the silent auction, please e-mail craigfoti@yahoo.com or call 1-800-790-2538.