More than 200 donors, investors, entrepreneurs and partners participated in this year’s Wine with Heart event, raising record-breaking revenue that will support the Institute’s mission to advance medical technology innovation. This year’s celebration was particularly special, as it marked the organization’s 10-year anniversary with a theme of “Building Upon a Legacy of Innovation,” with a lively walk down memory lane, followed by a glimpse into our bright future.
After a warm welcome by our CEO, Andrew Cleeland, the evening was kicked off by Dr. Fred St Goar, our vice chairman, who offered highlights of our major milestones since our inception in 2007, including the launch of the Ferolyn and FDA fellowships, and the Lefteroff summer internship – programs that are thriving thanks to the generous support of our benefactors and the devotion and commitment of our staff.
Attendees then had the opportunity to bid generously on one-of-a-kind auction items, which ranged from award-winning local wines, to suite tickets to top sporting events, to the most hotly contested prize of a “Hamilton” experience in New York.
The evening culminated with the celebration of the Institute’s 10-year anniversary and recognition of the man who formed the Institute: Dr. Fogarty. His recounting of how far we have come reminded all of us how much is still yet to come as we build on his legacy and look towards the future – towards the next innovators, the next breakthroughs.
The Institute is already on track to deliver on the promise of future innovation, as described by Andrew, who shared some of the most recent accomplishments. We are particularly delighted to welcome our newest team members, including two seasoned professionals, Denise Zarins and Greg Bakan, who joined the staff, and new board member, Stacy Enxing Seng. The Institute also continues to expand its educational offerings, with monthly workshops led by prominent industry experts. Andrew also shared his vision to expand on past successes by creating programs that cultivate tomorrow’s innovators, accelerate the development of new therapies and elevate the global innovation ecosystem.
We would like to sincerely thank our generous benefactors, startups, alumni, corporate partners and colleagues for attending this spectacular event at the beautiful Thomas Fogarty Winery.
A special appreciation also goes out to the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association for their continued generosity and commitment toward making this event a success and to our incredible auction donors, including the participating wineries, the San Jose Sharks, Dr. Tom Krummel and Silicon Valley Bank. And we’d like to express our gratitude to renowned celebrity chef, Mike Mashayekh, owner and chef at Le Papillon, who once again provided our delectable appetizers, entrees and dessert.
And last but not least, we would like to acknowledge our Founding Circle, who played an instrumental role in helping launch the Institute as well as several of our signature programs: Edward and Pamela Taft; the late Bill Bowes; Gordon and Betty Moore; and El Camino Hospital.
Finally, even if you were unable to join us, we welcome your tax-deductible donation to the Institute.
We have created a Facebook album to capture the wonderful evening at the Fogarty Winery, which can be viewed here. Thank you again for your presence and contributions, which will make a tremendous impact on the future of the Institute and our startups. Together we are advancing medical innovation.