| | Jacksonville Jaguars Kick Off a Cure
November 2, 2007
Combining Jacksonville’s two favorite pastimes—food and football—the North Florida Office’s Kick-off to a Cure was a doubly enjoyable event. More than 500 guests gathered at the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium’s Terrace Suite on September 23, 2007 to enjoy an indoor tailgate party with food and desserts from 20 of the area’s finest restaurants and to cheer on the Jacksonville Jaguars as viewed on televisions throughout the suite.
The Kick-off Planning Committee: (back row) Gary Marsh, Justin Terry, Kevin Setzer, Ken Roger, Kevin Milton, Jim Ash; (front row) Claudia Werner, Susan Wildes, Lani Baruch, Tracy Sutton, Angela Costa, Sarah Marie Johnston. |
During the first half, local restaurants dazzled guests with a sampling of signature dishes. The menu included such delicacies as spinach and feta cheese meatballs in apricot sauce, bang-bang shrimp and ahi tuna sashimi, and pulled pork mojo and charred poblano cornbread with cilantro crème fraiche.
At half-time, former Florida chapter member Kyle Bradbury spoke of her brother Drew’s battle with CF. “It was particularly rewarding for me to return to my hometown chapter and speak about the exciting scientific advances in cystic fibrosis research,” she said. “The Foundation's progress toward curing and controlling CF gives families like mine cause for hope.”
Another half-time highlight was the silent auction. Hands flew and the bids soared, as guests competed for tempting culinary packages, sports memorabilia, fine artwork and romantic getaways. And the crowd celebrated a satisfying victory when the Jaguars clobbered the Denver Broncos 24 to 14!
That wasn’t the only victory. Football fans scored a whopping $100,000 on behalf of the CF Foundation.
The Kick-off “is a fun, food and sports-oriented event, but there was never any doubt that we were all there to make a difference in people’s lives,” said event co-chair Sarah Marie Johnston. Co-chair Kevin Setzer agreed: “The spirit of giving was fantastic. These people were gathered around this cause just because they care.”
The evening would not have been possible without the volunteer efforts of Kevin Setzer, Sarah Marie Johnston, Patrick Thornton, Jennifer Cites, Akia McDaniel-Davis, Gary Marsh, Justin Terry, Ken Rogers, Kevin Milton, Lani Baruch, Susan Wildes, Tracy Sutton, Kyle Bradbury, and Nikki Preede.
Special thanks go to the sponsorship of corporate partners Hallmark; Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida; the Pineapple Corporation; Southern Oaks Insurance Company; Buffet Crampon USA, Inc.; Foresters; Complete Benefit Solutions; and WG Pitts.
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