Tom Glavine
Legendary Atlanta Braves pitcher and recent inductee to Baseball's Hall of Fame Tom Glavine will be the keynote speaker at the sixth annual Bradley Sunrise Rotary Sunset Gala on June 6 at the Cleveland Country Club.
In light of this year's speaker, this year’s gala will have a baseball theme, and there will be several baseball-related items for sale in the gala's live and silent auctions.
Mr.
Glavine will meet with members of the local media at 5:15 p.m. before attending a private meet-and-greet with Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond-level table sponsors. The gala begins at 6 p.m. with attendees being able to view all of the gala auction items while enjoying wine and hors d’oeuvres. This year's auctions feature an Atlanta Broadway musical package, an evening with professional football star and former University of Tennessee Volunteer Peyton Manning, several lavish vacation packages, a local television advertising campaign and jewelry. A five-star dinner will be served at 7 p.m.
With 164 victories during the 1990s, Tom Glavine earned the second highest amounts of wins as a pitcher in the national League, second only to teammate Greg Maddux's 176. He was a five-time 20-game winner and two-time Cy Young Award winner, and one of only 24 pitchers (and just six left handers) in major league history to earn 300 career wins. On January 8, 2014, it was announced that he was voted in to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility with 91.9 percent of the votes.
In addition to his stellar athletic career, Mr. Glavine is a humble philanthropist. Since 1992, he has partnered with the Georgia Transplant Foundation to host the annual "Spring Training" event, raising more than $4.3 million for transplant candidates, recipients, and their families in the state of Georgia. In 2005, along with several New York Mets teammates, Mr. Glavine served as a spokesman for Volunteers of America's "Operation Backpack" program which helped equip more than 7,000 homeless school children with backpacks full of necessary school supplies. An additional 3,000 back packs were sent to Houston to help Katrina victims.
Mr. Glavine and his wife, Christine, have five children. They live in Johns Creek, Ga., where he coaches his sons' baseball and hockey teams.
Gala Chairman Kevin Mendel gives special credit to Larry Hill Ford for its Diamond sponsorship of the gala as well as Southern Heritage Bank and Choice MD for their Platinum sponsorships.
“We’re so blessed to have the long-standing support from Larry Hill Ford and Southern Heritage Bank,” Mr. Mendel said. “This is the fourth year the local car dealership and bank have been high-level sponsors, and we definitely appreciate their commitment to our gala. We're also pleased to welcome Choice MD as a new platinum-level sponsor this year. "
During the past year, BSR awarded more than $75,000 to 20 local non-profits from last year's gala with legendary college football coach Steve Spurrier. During the gala's five-year history, BSR has raised more than $420,000.
For more information about tickets and the event, call (423) 432-0347, or go to www.bradleysunriserotary.com