San Diego, CA. (March 24, 2005). Sullivan International Group, Inc. hosted its 1st Annual Charity Gala on Friday, February 25, 2005, at the Hyatt Regency, La Jolla, California, to benefit the Sullivan Children's Foundation. Nearly 230 guests joined the title sponsors, Pacific Tugboat Services and the San Diego Business Journal, and showed their support for the charity by bidding on silent auction items while also enjoying appetizers, cocktails, and live entertainment by the Kicks Band. The Sullivan Children's Foundation was created with a mission to donate funds that will enhance the lives of children in Southern and Baja California through education, healthcare, and quality-of-life-focused charitable organizations.

Brian Christie of Fox Channel 6 acted as Master of Ceremonies, and attendees included County Supervisor Ron Roberts, State Assemblywoman Lori Saldana, and Tijuana Major Jorge Hank. Proceeds from this year's event were $20,000 and will benefit the Foundation for the Children of the Californias. This organization is responsible for providing medical care to needy children in both California and across the border in Mexico at the Hospital Infantil del las Californias. This hospital offers services for the low income and indigent populations of Southern and Baja California.

Sullivan CEO Steve Sullivan created the Sullivan Children's Foundation because of his passion for volunteerism and the importance he places on giving back to the community. Mr. Sullivan's volunteer efforts and community involvement in San Diego span more than 20 years and this practice carries over into Sullivan's corporate culture, where employees are rewarded and recognized for their volunteer participation within the community. The Sullivan Children's Foundation is run by Sullivan employees who volunteer their time.


2005 Awardees

The Gala's festivities featured the recognition of several community volunteers who have given to charitable organizations for years, including:

Bunny Feldman
Bunny Feldman should be called "The Eveready Bunny" because of her enduring and passionate commitment to the San Diego community for nearly two decades. Her outstanding contributions include being a senior volunteer with Home Start, Inc. for 17 years, donating hundreds of hours annually to assist with both fundraising events and the Adopt-a-Family holiday drive. She has also been volunteering in a similar capacity at the Old Globe Theatre since 1989 and the San Diego Blood Bank since January 2001. She has also donated her time to Sharp Grossmont Hospital, where she has co-chaired the quarterly Blood Drive since March 2002 and has since organized many other blood drives. Further, she has worked as a volunteer for Meals on Wheels since 1999, delivering meals to homebound persons, helping staff information and recruitment booths at volunteer fairs, and training other volunteers. All charities benefiting from Bunny's hard work share an appreciation for her sincere dedication to their organization's mission and the clients they serve, as well as for her sense of humor, humility, incredible work ethic, high level of competency and reliability, and enthusiastic readiness to assist at a moment's notice.

Irma Vazquez Perez
Irma Vasquez Perez is a multi-faceted jewel with so many wonderful qualities that to mention all of them would be impossible. This devoted wife and mother of two college students is a nurse who works 4 nights a week at local Tijuana hospitals. For the past 7 years, Irma has been volunteering another 3 days a week at the Hospital Infantil de las Californias.

Anyone who comes into contact with Irma can immediately see that she is a special blend of professional knowledge, endless patience, and genuine concern for her patients and their parents. Her calm competence, combined with her friendly concern, puts even the most distraught patient at ease. Whether bandaging a burn or spending 45 minutes to quiet a crying infant in order to administer an EKG, Irma approaches the situation with a certainty and humanity that inspires confidence.

Rodger Whistler
Rodger Whistler provides service in the Infant Special Care Center (ISCC), also known as the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, at UCSD Hospital. Rodger began his volunteer service in 1994. He is an extraordinary volunteer who provides tenderness and compassion every Monday morning to the neonates and their families. Some of these tiny patients began their stay at 23 weeks gestation. Many of them struggle to survive while battling premature birth weights of 400-500 grams. Others face developmental and physiological challenges. For many families of neonates, the difficulty and necessity of returning to work while still caring for other children at home limits their time spent with their newborn. It is at this time of crisis that courageous volunteers like Rodger spend hours caring and sharing their hearts with the neonates.

Jorge Hank Rhon
Jorge Hank Rhon, Tijuana mayor, was also honored as a community leader for his years of generous donations and giving to the poor in the greater Tijuana area.

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"At Sullivan, we have an extremely motivated and charitable employee base providing both time and money, knowing they can make a difference in our community," said Kevin Hayford, Director of Marketing & Public Relations. "We are now looking forward to future events and fundraising activities, and are seeking volunteers and sponsors for those events."

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