Gift for Life names 2007 honorees
Staff -- Home Accents Today, 10/1/2006
Gift for Life has named the honorees for its annual fund-raising gala. Peer Baekgaard of Baekgaard Ltd. will be honored with the Chuck Yancy Lifetime Achievement Award. Rick Ruffner of Avanti Press and Jeff Sampson of the L.A. Mart will be honored with the Bert Tonkin Gift of Giving Award.
The 15th Annual Gift for Life Gala will be held Sunday, Jan. 28, from 6–10 p.m. at Strata, 915 Broadway at 21st Street, New York.
Festivities will include a gourmet buffet dinner; cocktails; entertainment; and silent and live auctions.
Peer Baekgaard is the founder of Baekgaard, Ltd., importer, manufacturer and distributor of high-end men's gifts, including barware items, desk accessories, games and artwork. In 2003, Peer sold the company although he remains involved with the business. He lives in Fort Wayne, Ind., with his wife of 16 years, Barbara Baekgaard, co-founder of Vera Bradley, who was honored by Gift for Life in 2001 for her outstanding industry contributions and generosity.
Rick Ruffner is founder and president of Avanti Press. Ruffner started the greeting card company in 1980, and Avanti has become a leading publisher of photographic image greeting cards available at approximately 15,000 retailers in North America and in 25 countries.
Jeff Sampson is director of marketing for the L.A. Mart Design Center. For the past four years, Sampson has also produced the L.A. Mart's Gift for Life annual fund-raising event as part of the July Gift & Home Furnishings Market. Under his guidance, the benefit has been elevated to a national level as Gift For Life's second highest grossing fund-raiser, generating in excess of $145,000 for amfAR.
"These special honorees combine significant business success with a passionate mission to help others," said Tabitha Bowling, chair of the Gift For Life board. "We recognize their tireless energy and their spirit of generosity."
Individual tickets start at $125 or $5,000 for a reserved table of 10. Proceeds from the event benefit amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. For more information, contact Erica Topple, 212-806-1753, or visit www.giftforlife.org.
