The 18th annual Orange & Black Ball was held on Saturday, August 26th in the Janssen-Lagorio Gymnasium. The Ball is hosted by the Pacific Athletic Foundation and supports the student-athletes of University of the Pacific.
This year's title sponsor was Pacific Construction, a general contracting firm that was founded on the principles of integrity, professionalism, efficiency, and value. Pacific Construction has over 20+ years of experience in the construction industry with a portfolio that spans a wide range of construction methods and types. Two of Pacific Construction's most recent projects have been for Pacific Athletics, including the Janssen-Lagorio Performance Center and the Roy and Jean Sanders Clubhouse.
Guests arriving for the Ball received a warm welcome from Pacific student-athletes!
Cocktail hour began at 5:30 giving guests the opportunity to browse silent auction items, mingle with others, visit wine tasting stations, and enjoy hors d'oeuvres catered by Angelina's and Midtown Creperie.
We partnered with Qtego Auction Services giving guests the ability to bid for items via their cell phones.
President Pamela Eibeck gave her welcoming remarks and shared her enthusiasm for Pacific Athletics and all of their recent success. She then took a moment to recognize Director of Athletics, Dr. Ted Leland, who announced his retirement earlier in the week.
Ted Leland joined President Eibeck on stage following a standing ovation from the guests.
He then took a moment to address the crowd and share his love for University of the Pacific.
After a delicious dinner served by Angelina's, the title sponsor presentation began. Dr. Ted Leland introduced Pacific Construction President, Wilson Yu.
Wilson Yu, who also serves as PAF Board President, addressed the crowd on why he decided to be the title sponsor of the Orange & Black Ball. He also thanked his staff and colleagues and touched on the two newest Pacific Athletics facilities, the Janssen-Lagorio Performance Center and the Roy and Jean Sanders Clubhouse. Both of which were Pacific Construction projects.
Next, Steve Godfryd of Pacific Auction Company began part one of the Live Auction.
Following part one of the Live Auction, Tim Daly introduced the surprise live entertainer for the night, Tim Decker.
Tim Decker is a speed painter who travels the globe and performs at over 120 events a year. He has appeared on television over 75 times including appearances on Hell's Kitchen with Gordon Ramsey on FOX as well as ABC, NBC, CBS, CNBC and the Hallmark Channel. His work and performances have been seen by Muhammad Ali, George H W Bush, Jimmy Carter, Arnold Palmer, Garth Brooks, and even Kim Kardashian to name a few.
The crowd looking on as Decker performs his first piece.
Finally, Decker announced to the crowd that he had a surprise piece that he had previously done special for the Orange & Black Ball and Pacific Athletics.
Decker had completed a piece featuring Pacific Men's Basketball head coach, Damon Stoudamire, going one-on-one against Michael Jordan. He then invited Stoudamire up to sign it before auctioning it off.
The painting was then purchased by Lynne Davis.
Following the performance we began part two of the Live Auction. The first package included the Ultimate Golf Experience with Damon Stoudamire in Las Vegas. This trip was purchased by Wilson Yu.
The next item was a trip to Hawaii to stay at the Fairmont Maui Kea Lani. This package sold twice to Kelli Page and J. Michael Thompson.
Six Pacific head coaches were then invited on stage to assist in the drawing of the winners for the Grand Prize Raffle sponsored by Ernie Segale and Segale Travel Service.
The first trip was a 7 night Mexican-Riviera Princess Cruise and the winner was Kara Godi.
The second trip included two round trip tickets to Las Vegas and a two-night stay at the Bellagio. The winner was Wendi Cook.
The next trip included a 3-night stay at the Grand Velas Resort in Puerto Vallarta. This vacation was won by David Sandstrom.
The next drawing was for a 5-night stay at the Moana Surfrider Resort & Spa in Honolulu, Hawaii and the winner was Andreas Witt.
Next up was a 5-night vacation in Waimea, Hawaii staying at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel. The winner was Patrick Velasquez.
The final prize included two round trip tickets and a 2-night stay at The Luxor in Las Vegas. The winner was Mike Robinson.
We closed out the program with a Fund-a-Need campaign to benefit all of our student-athletes at University of the Pacific. This year's Fund-a-Need profits would go towards a breakfast program and nutritional meals for our student-athletes. We had a goal of $15,000 and guests were able to "give" via their cell phone and see their name come up on the screen and the Pacific "P" fill up as we neared our goal. Thank you to everyone who participated in the Fund-a-Need campaign and helping us reach our goal of $15,000.
The PAF would like to thank everyone who attended and/or participated in the 2017 Orange & Black Ball. Because of your generosity, we were able to raise a record amount of $123,735.00 for Pacific Athletics!
Credits:
Tim Ulmer