Deliver The Dream Announces Jeans & Dreams Gala

Jacksonville, Florida
Friday, May 09, 2008 @ 10:47 AM EDT
by: Deliver the Dream Media Contact
Joe Wolf, The Dalton Agency
Tel: +1 904 398 5222 ext. 2334
jwolf@daltonagency.com

Deliver the Dream, a not-for-profit retreat program serving Jacksonville families facing serious illness or crisis, will host its annual Jeans & Dreams Gala on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 6:00 pm at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach. Tickets are currently available at $200 per person and all net proceeds will benefit Deliver the Dream’s unique family retreat program.

Event Chairs, Bob and Lindsay Helms and Ron and Hilah Autrey, welcome the Jacksonville community to celebrate this exciting evening of formal denim, dining, dancing, silent and live auctions, and live entertainment. The evening will kick-off with a cocktail reception and silent auction. Emceed by the voice of the Jacksonville Jaguars Brian Sexton and First Coast News anchor Angela Spears, the program with begin with Dinner at 7:30 p.m., followed by a live auction, dancing, and entertainment.

This year’s gala features comedian and musician Gary Mule Deer, who has made more than 350 TV appearances, including many on the Tonight Show and The Late Show with David Letterman. Currently one of the most played comedians on the Clean Comedy Channels of Sirius and XM Satellite Radio, Mule Deer is an equally great country singer. Throughout the evening, guests will dance to the sounds of The Murray Goff Connection. A local favorite of Jacksonville, the band has opened for such diverse acts as The Four Tops, Fleetwood Mac, and Shenandoah.

“Deliver the Dream’s ability to help Jacksonville families living with a serious illness or crisis is undeniably dependant upon the generous support of the community members caring for one another,” said Pat Moran, founder of Deliver the Dream. “I have incredible admiration for the Helms’ and Autrey’s, who are giving back in a big way by leading the charge and co-chairing our event. Their efforts set the example for others to follow. This year’s sponsorships and donations from Jacksonville corporations and organizations represent the tremendous giving heart that this city possesses. My ultimate dream of creating a program to help families find strength to stay together in times of crisis has resonated with the Jacksonville community and for that…I am very thankful.”

This year’s sponsors include: co-presenting sponsors Invision Industries Inc. and Southern Manufacturing and Upholstery; platinum Enkei Florida, Inc./Jaguar Trading International, Inc.; gold Auto Carrier Express, Inc.; silver Wachovia Bank, N.A., Dalton Agency, The Hartley Press; bronze Access Limited, Inc., Centurion Auto Transport, CSX Corporation, The Florida Times-Union, The Gator Bowl Association, Haskell, Jacksonville Jaguars, LTD., Miller Electric Company, PGA TOUR, Rink Design Partnership Inc. and St. Vincent's Healthcare Foundation.

Proceeds from the Jeans & Dreams Gala will be used for retreats for local Jacksonville families who are referred by Deliver the Dream’s Jacksonville non-profit partners, including American Cancer Society, Brooks Rehabilitation of Jacksonville, National Multiple Sclerosis Society (North Florida Chapter), Nemours Children’s Clinic, St. Vincent’s Medical Center and Wolfson Children’s Hospital.

"Nemours has been thrilled to align and partner with Deliver the Dream which provides our chronically ill patients a chance to participate in a weekend retreat that involves every member of the child's family," said Cynthia Gauger, MD, pediatric hematologist/oncologist at Nemours Children's Clinic Jacksonville. "Deliver the Dream offers a unique opportunity for the patient to participate in a retreat with the entire family sharing in the experience, away from a clinical setting, with other families in similar situations."

Through consistent advocacy, stewardship and productive partnerships, Deliver the Dream delivers highly effective programs that enable those undergoing crisis or chronic illness to regain strength, mend spirits and become families and kids again. The generosity of Deliver the Dream’s financial contributors, including corporate and community partners, allows families to attend a retreat free of charge. In addition, more than 600 volunteers and 16 national non-profit partners help make the work of Deliver the Dream possible. To date, more than 3,200 family participants have benefited from Deliver the Dream’s retreat program.

For more information about Deliver the Dream, please visit www.deliverthedream.org.

modified: Friday, May 09, 2008 @ 11:03 AM EDT
created: Friday, May 09, 2008 @ 10:14 AM EDT

About Nemours

Nemours, one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems, is dedicated to achieving higher standards in children’s health. Nemours offers an integrated spectrum of clinical treatment coupled with research, advocacy, and educational health and prevention services extending to all families in the communities it serves. Starting with Alfred I. duPont’s bequest over seventy years ago, Nemours has grown into a multi-dimensional organization offering personalized clinical and preventive care focused on children.

Nemours owns and operates the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware and major children’s specialty clinics in Delaware (Wilmington), Florida (Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr) and New Jersey (Atlantic City and Voorhees). Having recently received approval from the State of Florida, Nemours will establish a new full-service children’s hospital in Orlando. KidsHealth.org, the world’s most visited pediatric health care Web site for parents, kids and teens, is a project of Nemours.

Nemours employs over 4,200 individuals, including 400 pediatric physicians, specialists and surgeons who cared for approximately a quarter of a million children in 2006. The organization’s goal is to align with parents, physicians, community leaders, children’s advocates and elected officials to ensure optimal wellness for every child. Additional information about Nemours can be found at www.nemours.org.