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The American Red Cross Bay Area lit up the night during its annual Paint the Town Red Gala on Saturday, February 28 at San Francisco City Hall. The spectacular evening enchanted the Bay Area philanthropic and corporate community, bringing together more than 400 guests in a show of support for Red Cross disaster readiness and relief efforts in the Bay Area.

The festivities commenced at 6 p.m. in the City Hall Rotunda with a cocktail reception featuring hors d’ oeuvres, a vodka bar sponsored by GREY GOOSE® Vodka and selected wines courtesy of Gallo Family Vineyards. The cocktail reception bubbled with a vibrant crowd of fashionable guests mingling and taking advantage of the opportunity to support the Red Cross by bidding on silent auction items, including “celebrity survival kits” donated by local personalities such as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Harry Denton, Gary Danko and other notables, featuring items they wouldn’t want to live without. Notably Speaker Pelosi’s kit included an American flag from the Inauguration.

Local designers were well represented with “Emily Jane” designing for Jenny Georges, Krista Mitzel, Susan Porter and Chairwoman Roberta Economidis. Susan Atherton (TITLE) was in “Erin Mahoney.” Maggie Stack wore “Lily Samii”, while Kelly Grimes donned an “Alexander Wang,” Laura Miller was stunning in “Vera Wang” and Jaime Jensen sported “Azadeh.” Meredyth Masterson wore “Haput’s Own” with Dana Marie Sanchez in “Michael Casey.” Terry Schwakopf selected a “St. John’s” and Makai Fisher showed off her “Bill Blass.” Not to be outdone, Kenneth Cole model Sonny Caberwell wore a REVL bow tie; REVL also donated a tie to every gentleman attendee.

At 8 p.m. guests were treated to an elegant three-course dinner in the North Light Court. Dinner was complimented by a rousing live auction where guests bid on such items as a private dance lesson with multi-platinum recording artist MC Hammer, an original Pablo Picasso lithograph, a five-day guided safari in Kenya, and a six-course meal prepared by former contestants of Bravo TV’s “Top Chef” show. The silent and live auctions raised more than $140,000 to support Red Cross programs and services in the Bay Area.

After dinner, the evening carried on into the Rotunda where guests danced the night away to the music of 10-piece band Big City Revue. Dominic Phillips Event Marketing staged the City Hall venue to create an elegant ambiance for a perfect evening of celebration.

The 2009 Paint the Town Red Gala committee was co-chaired by Kelly Bryson Murphy and Roberta Economidis, both long-time supporters of the American Red Cross Bay Area.

The International community showed its support as numerous Consulate Generals attended including: the Honorable David Lawson of Australia, The Honorable Jean-Francois Lichtenstern of Switzerland, The Honorable Yasumasa Nagamine of Japan, The Honorable Gerry Staunton of Ireland, Ambassador Xenia Stefanidou of Greece, The Honorable Richard Pivicka of Czech Republic and The Honorable Barbara Pivnicka of Slovak Republic, Ambassador Nicolas Roncagliolo of Peru, The Honorable Eva Voisin of Hungary, the Honorable Lilian Koziol of Madagascar, The Honorable Georges Faber of Luxembourg, Dr. Peter Fredericks of Austria, The Honorable Zhansheng Gao and Nan Yang of the People’s Republic of China and The Honorable Julian Evans of the United Kingdom.

This year’s gala was sponsored in part by generous donations from lead sponsor Citi and supporting sponsors Borel Private Bank & Trust Company, Hiro and Betty Ogawa and Visa, Inc.

About the American Red Cross Bay Area
Governed by volunteers and supported by community donations, your American Red Cross Bay Area helps residents in six counties prepare for disaster, recover from them and connect U.S. military families torn apart by war, terrorism and natural tragedy. The American Red Cross’s nearly 2,000 personnel, 95 percent of which are volunteers, are all dedicated to saving lives. Every year, the American Red Cross Bay Area mobilizes relief to families affected by nearly 500 disasters, trains more than 350,000 people in lifesaving and preparedness skills, and exchanges hundreds of emergency messages for military, war and disaster-stricken families. Call 1-888-4-HELP-BAY or visit www.redcrossbayarea.org to learn more. The Red Cross provides nearly half the Bay Area’s blood supply. Call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543) today to schedule your lifesaving donation.