The Diocese
Posted: 08/21/2017
The 5th Bridge to the Future Gala Dinner & Dance will be held on September 30, 2017 at the picturesque Sheraton Hotel & Marina Bay Tower. The theme, “Carnival in Venice,” sets the stage for an evening inspired by the romance of Italy. The Trust Fund Committee of St. John Garabed Armenian Church is organizing the event under the auspices of Parish Priest Very Rev. Fr. Pakrad Berjekian.
The goal is to raise $150,000 to begin the construction of a new church campus near Del Mar, California. Table sponsorships are available for $10,000, $5,000, $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000, with generous donor benefits for each level. Individual tickets are $250 per person. A portion of the ticket price is tax-deductible.
Dan Cohen, co-anchor of CBS News 8 This Morning and CBS News 8 at 11 a.m., will be the Master of Ceremonies and Auctioneer. Dan has been honored with three Emmy Awards for his exceptional journalism and is beloved throughout San Diego. It’s Dan’s second year hosting this event. He is a close friend of San Diego’s Armenian community and a passionate supporter of the new church campus.
Chairwoman Suzanne Meader has assembled a dedicated committee of volunteers who are planning an exceptionally elegant and memorable evening. She said, “This year’s new featured attraction will be our ‘Chef’s Appetizer Affair’. Notable chefs and restauranteurs from around San Diego will be serving some of their signature dishes as appetizers in stations during the cocktail reception. The line up will include specialty finger foods from Amardeen, Mesa, Pushkin, and Solare! We will also be treating our guests to a wine wall, gourmet dinner, live auction, entertainment by NRG Music & Production, celebrity guest vocalist, Monica Louwerens, $10,000 raffle prize, and more.”
The Bridge to the Future project will establish a state-of-the-art church campus that will be a new spiritual and cultural home for the Armenian community of San Diego as well as a destination for Armenians worldwide.
Harry Krikorian, chairman of the Trust Fund Committee, stated, "We are excited to once again be hosting the Bridge to the Future Gala in San Diego. We feel it’s realistic to expect to break ground in the fall. The Parish Council has already appointed a Building Committee, and we are working with a civil engineer to submit grading plans to the city. This project is all about our kids, and providing the next generation with a place for learning, growing, worship and fellowship."
For information about the Gala, event donations, or ticket sales, please email sjgsdtrust@gmail.com. Please also contact us if you are interested in volunteering the night of the event or helping sell raffle tickets.
To order tickets online or receive updated information, visit http://www.stjohngarabed.org/, and look for “Bridge to the Future” on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BridgetotheFutureSD/ or @BridgetotheFutureSD.
