Heroes for Hope Gala 2005

Sunday, July 31st, 2005, marked another memorable evening for the Jorge Posada Foundation. Together with over 400 of its strongest supporters and friends, the Jorge Posada Foundation marked the passing of another successful year. With the spectacular setting of Cipriani Wall Street, the Foundation family gathered to honor the contributions of Anheuser-Busch, recipient of the Sponsor for Hope Award.

Regis Philbin, from Live with Regis and Kelly, emceed the evening, while presentations of the awards were made by the Posada Family. The star studded event included a live auction, highlighted by a custom built Yankees chopper, designed and created by the Orange County Choppers. After a heated bidding war, the chopper was bought by OCC’s General Manager, Steve Moreau, on behalf of Paul Teutul, Sr. A “His & Hers Package” with a Jacob the Jeweler ladies watch and a Johnnie Walker Anniversary limited edition cask strength blend of the rarest whiskeys, released to celebrate the 200th birthday of John Walker, was bought by Derek Jeter. Jason Giambi also contributed to the live auction by purchasing a $25,000 "Unique Addition" vehicle customization donated by Unique Autosports. As part of the prize, the customization will be featured along with the owner on an episode of SPEED Channel's "Unique Whips". Finally, our youngest winner in the auction was Jorge Jr., who bought a private jet trip aboard Blue Star Jets, to Boston for the Yankee v. Red Sox game, donated by Terrence Schmidt and Blue Star Jets.

A silent auction, managed by Steiner Sports, also took place throughout the evening and included items such as sports memorabilia and contributions made by Posada family friends and sponsors. The wonderful ambiance and beautiful flower arrangements were made possible by Alana Rose Designs. The evening culminated with an exciting performance by Sony Music recording artist and international salsa sensation, Victor Manuelle.

The Heroes for Hope Gala raised over $425,000. These funds will serve as the major source of funding to continue the mission of the Jorge Posada Foundation.