The American Cancer Society San Diego Discovery Gala was held Sept. 27 at the Valenti International Estate in Rancho Santa Fe. SAIC was the presenting sponsor with Morgan Stanley, Northrop Grumman and Qualcomm as Gold sponsors. Other sponsors included AT & T;, BAE Systems and Deloitte. The event raised $310,000 for research and programs of American Cancer Society Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps donated $2,500 to support wounded U.S. Marines through the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. The firm, in conjunction with CommNexus and other local companies, donated $5,000 and provided computer terminals at the Miramar Air Show, giving attendees the opportunity to learn more about the charity and make donations Rick Valencia, founder of ProfitLine, will be honored as Man of the Year by Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County at its annual Gourmet Dinner on Oct. 30 at Hyatt Regency La Jolla. Valencia demonstrated an outstanding commitment for Big Brothers Big Sisters and the cause of mentoring the San Diego community’s youth Opus 2008, the San Diego Symphony Season Opening Gala, was held Oct. 4 at the US Grant Hotel followed by a concert at the Balboa Theatre. Corporate sponsors included Sycuan Resort and Casino, U.S. Trust, Torrey Pines Bank, US Bank, Union Bank of California and Van Cleef & Arpels. Proceeds from the gala benefit the education and outreach programs of the Symphony A New Path presented its fourth annual Strut for Sobriety on Sept. 20 at the Westin Gaslamp Quarter Hotel. The event raised $31,000, which will support the nonprofit’s efforts to reduce the stigma of substance abuse to increase access to therapeutic treatment services Mail Boxes Etc., franchisor of The UPS Store, hosted the Toys for Tots Literacy Program Golf Classic, which raised $60,000 to purchase books and educational materials for children Rick Engineering received an Employer of the Year award from the San Diego chapter of Women’s Transportation Seminar. Kai Ramer, principal and head of Rick Engineering’s transportation division, received the Excellence in Transportation Award for outstanding achievement … Timothy Gabrielson, who heads the Redevelopment Division, received the 2008 Outstanding Service in the Private Sector Award from the San Diego/Imperial chapter of the American Public Works Association. Gabrielson also heads APWA’s community outreach efforts Cox Kids Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Cox Communications, awarded $59,175 in Innovation in Education grants. Sponsored by Comerica Bank, Innovation in Education gives grants to middle schools to fund educational programs that promote imagination in local classrooms … The American Institute of Graphic Arts recognized two San Diego graphic designers at the Design Legends Gala held in New York City. Ron Miriello of Miriello Grafico and MaeLin Levine of Visual Asylum were recognized as national fellows for career-long contributions to the community and to the design profession The Grossmont Healthcare District gave $15,000 to the El Cajon Foundation. The grant will fund the purchase of 10,000 Vial of Life containers, which will be distributed by fire departments in East County. Lifesaving Information for Emergencies is a nationally recognized program credited for saving countless lives The Circle of Hope Gala was held Oct. 4 at the estate of Frank and Claudette Mercardante. The $60,000 raised benefits New Haven Youth and Family Services. Sponsors included Chuao Chocolatier, Orfila Vineyards, Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch and (W)right On Communications Sycuan Resort and Casino partnered with the YWCA and Becky’s House at the 18th annual Charity Golf Tournament held Oct. 9 at Sycuan Resort. The $50,000 raised will help Becky’s House to provide food, clothing and counseling for victims of domestic violence The San Diego World Trade Center held its Annual Awards Gala on Oct. 2. The honorees were: Importer of the Year, Ethertronics; Exporter of the Year, Goodrich Aerostructures; Emerging Company of the Year, Quake Global; Service Provider of the Year, Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce. The Essence of World Trade award went to William A. Hall, owner of Vivistar.
Please send Giving and Kudos items to San Diego philanthropist and contributing writer Joyce Glazer at jglazer@sdbj.com.