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Tom Arnold, Dana Carvey, and Bob Saget were among the extraordinary collection of comedians who took to the stage on Sunday, March 13, in the Garden Court of San Francisco's Palace Hotel to benefit scleroderma research.
For its first San Francisco event, the Scleroderma Research Foundation welcomed comedic legends Tom Arnold, Dana Carvey, event emcee Bob Saget, and a special acoustic performance by Pat Monahan & Brandon Bush of the Grammy¨ Award winning band, TRAIN. Celebrity chefs and restaurateurs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken (television's Two Hot Tamales) were the featured chefs de cuisine. The Dick Bright Orchestra also entertained guests and played alongside TRAIN for an emotional rendition of their hit song "Drops of Jupiter."
A live auction featured eight exclusive packages ranging from Napa Valley's most sought after cult wines, to lunches with celebrities, to private dinner parties at some of San Franciso's most celebrated restaurants, including Gary Danko and Jardiniere. At the conclusion of the evening more than $540,000 was raised for scleroderma research.
Since its inception in 1988, Cool Comedy - Hot Cuisine has raised millions of dollars for scleroderma research. The "cool comedy" portion of the evening spotlights stellar performances from a hand-picked collection of the world"s most celebrated comedians. Previous performers have included Sheryl Crow, Rodney Dangerfield, Ellen DeGeneres, Arsenio Hall, Jay Leno, Dennis Miller, Lily Tomlin and many, many more.
Less than one year ago in Los Angeles and New York, two sell-out crowds were treated to the extraordinary talents of Tim Allen, Tina Fey, the Goo Goo Dolls, Conan O'Brien, Robin Williams and others. In just two incredible nights, 1,000 people helped to raise more than $1.7 million to support scleroderma research programs from coast to coast.
The national Scleroderma Research Foundation was founded in the Bay Areas in 1987 by scleroderma patient Sharon Monsky. Monsky lost her battle to the disease in May of 2002 and the Foundation recently moved its national headquarters back to San Francisco from Santa Barbara, California. This event marks the first appearance of the Scleroderma Research Foundation's flagship fundraiser in San Francisco.
Event proceeds will benefit scleroderma research at leading U.S. medical institutions such as Dartmouth, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Ohio State, Stanford, UC San Francisco, and others.
The goal of the Scleroderma Research Foundation is to "go out of business." The focus, clear and specific: to find a cure for scleroderma. To date, the Foundation has raised more than $18 million toward that goal.
Future Cool Comedy - Hot Cuisine events are scheduled for Fall 2005 in Los Angeles and New York.
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