Ball and Golf Tournament Set New Records

November 1, 2005

REDWOOD CITY, CA -- The Sequoia Hospital Foundation held its 20th annual gala events weekend on September 16 and 19th, raising record amounts to fund the purchase of new beds for fellow community members and patients at Sequoia Hospital, "The Jewel of the Peninsula."

Chaired by San Carlos residents Bonnie and Tony Addario, the weekend's Gala Ball and Auction offered many new surprises this year, including a video presentation and a chance for one lucky attendee to win a 1 carat, $10,000 diamond, donated courtesy of Geoffrey's Diamonds of San Carlos.  The event was held again this year at the Palo Alto Hills Golf and Country Club. Auctioneers Frank Bizzaro and Frank Putnam worked their magic on the crowd, making it thoroughly enjoyable for the evening's 320 attendees. An exquisite dinner and dancing to the music of Rex Allen's Swing Express rounded out the festivities.

The Invitational Golf Tournament was held at Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club.  Foundation Board Chair Frank Hannig, Jr. served for the second year as co-chair of the day's events with Greg Kemist. After an exceptional 18 holes of golf under beautiful blue skies, all 177 golfers were welcomed inside for dinner, a silent auction and an awards presentation.

"This year's events truly brought us to new heights." reflected JoAnn Kemist, President of the Sequoia Hospital Foundation, "We were proud to welcome more participants over the weekend than we ever have before and are overjoyed at surpassing our fundraising goals."

The 2005 gala events raised a record-breaking $272,058 to fund the purchase of 45 new high-tech CareAssist beds for Sequoia's Cardiac Surveillance and Medical, Surgical and Orthopedic units.  The weekend's Presenting Sponsors, The Danford Foundation, the Hannig Law Firm and the Hannig Family launched the events by purchasing the first eight beds.

Founded in 1950, Sequoia Hospital is an accredited, not-for-profit community hospital providing innovative and exceptional medical care to Bay Area residents. Sequoia is rebuilding a state-of-the-art facility at its historic Redwood City site, to meet the future healthcare needs of the community. HealthGrades, the nation's leading healthcare quality company, rated Sequoia Best in Northern California for Overall Cardiac Services and Treatment of Heart Attack.

Financial support from individuals, families, foundations and organizations is essential to maintain Sequoia's ability to offer excellent, state-of-the-art services and programs. Gifts to Sequoia Hospital Foundation support patient care and outreach services, programs and facilities to keep our hospital strong and our community healthy.

The Sequoia Healthcare District and Catholic Healthcare West have governed the hospital jointly since 1996.