SAN FRANCISCO—The Northern California Real Estate and Construction Council has raised more than $10 million for the City of Hope's life-saving research since 1986. Rather than the usual dinner-and-speeches event supporting the cancer research hospital, alumni are the featured guests of the expected 500 attendees at the 30th anniversary celebration. The networking cocktail party will be held on May 9 from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the Marriott Marquis, 780 Market St.

The sell-out annual event is equal parts passionate fundraiser honoring philanthropic real estate leaders and one of the best-known networking events of the year. Tickets are $400 with sponsorships starting at $4,000 and can be purchased online.

“Every year, people tell us about the great networking enabled by hundreds of industry leaders being in one room, so for our 30th anniversary, the committee decided to embrace that aspect with more of a celebration party, with twice as much networking time,” council board president Matt Lituchy of Jay Paul Company, tells GlobeSt.com.

Prior-year honorees who have received the City of Hope Spirit of Life award, many of whom will be in attendance, include Andy Ball, Carol Bartz, Kofi Bonner, Michael Covarrubias, Oz Erickson, Rick Holliday, Sean Jeffries, Eli Khouri, Rik Kunnath, Chris Meany, Hamid Moghadam, Constance B. Moore, Larry Pace and Ron Zeff.

“The NCREC has raised over $10 million in these three decades, and our committee felt it warranted a special event we think people won't forget,” Lituchy says.

New this year, attendees will enjoy networking during an extensive cocktail party with gourmet food stations, passed hors d'oeuvres, open bar and live entertainment. Sponsors for the festivities include TMG Partners, Equity Office, Columbia Property Trust, DivcoWest, Cushman & Wakefield, Newmark Grubb Knight Frank west coast capital markets, Plant Construction, Hudson Pacific Properties, Jay Paul Company, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP, Webcor Builders, Connie Moore and Roger Greer.

One in two men and one in three women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes. The annual benefit recognizes outstanding business leadership and philanthropic achievements in raising money for City of Hope, a leading research, treatment and education center for cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases.

Designated as a comprehensive cancer center, the highest honor bestowed by the National Cancer Institute, City of Hope is a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Its lifesaving research and treatment advances improve the lives of people around the nation, and numerous breakthrough cancer drugs are based on technology pioneered by the center. Furthermore, its commitment to compassionate patient care and its approach to individualized treatment are considered models for supportive care in the United States.

“The City of Hope Spirit of Life event has become an annual institution, and we now have a second component, our Bike to Hope cycling event each October,” added Pankow's Wally Naylor, a board member and Bike to Hope chairman.

The Northern California council is comprised of developers, brokers, contractors, building owners, engineers, architects and consultants who advocate on behalf of a single philanthropic goal: supporting the lifesaving treatment and compassionate care of City of Hope. This industry alliance is one of the premier fundraising groups in the region.

The group's history began in 1987, when a banquet was arranged by a group of real estate and construction industry leaders in honor of Dan Costello, Bank of America's former executive vice president, corporate real estate division. That event raised more than $100,000 for City of Hope, and inspired a tradition of philanthropic excellence among members of the real estate and construction community.

City of Hope's main hospital is located in Duarte, just northeast of Los Angeles, with clinics throughout Southern California. It is ranked as one of America's best hospitals in cancer by US News & World Report. Founded in 1913, City of Hope is a pioneer in the fields of bone marrow transplantation and genetics.

“The NCREC has raised over $10 million in these three decades, and our committee felt it warranted a special event we think people won't forget,” Lituchy says.

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City of Hope Turns 30, Fetes Alumni Honorees

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