SAN FRANCISCO — The new nonprofit Legacy Through Giving will host a fund-raiser next spring, benefiting community groups with limited resources.
Founded by husband and wife Michael W. Chan and Macy Mak Chan of the MM Foundation, the group will provide the production, fashion, entertainment and event marketing for the first annual “Giving Through Fashion Gala 2008” on March 22, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Burlingame. Participating groups will help promote the event and retain all proceeds in doing so, through donations, sponsorships, dinner tickets, silent auction items, raffle tickets, program book ads or TV broadcast time slots.
“I applaud Michael and Macy for understanding the difficulties of smaller nonprofits in raising money,” said Fiona Ma, California state assemblywoman and majority whip, who attended the press conference. “They have been involved in many different fund-raisers over the years, and I am supportive of their philanthropy efforts.”
To be considered a beneficiary organization, a group must be a nonprofit that provides a valuable service to the community, have a board of directors representative attend the Legacy Through Giving orientation meeting, participate in at least one subcommittee and bring a minimum of 10 paid guests to the gala.
“We want to help smaller nonprofits raise money without the headaches of financial risk and organizing responsibilities,” said Michael Chan, adding that although the Chans are members of the S.F. Chinatown Lions Club, the gala is unaffiliated with the organization.
The group is now seeking nonprofits to become beneficiaries and join the groups that have already signed on, including the Bay Area Asian Sports Dragons, which plans to use the money raised to build a basketball court for kids to improve and practice teamwork and leadership skills; the Lions Club Campaign SightFirst II, which combats preventable blindness worldwide; the AsianWeek Foundation; and the S.F. Hep B Free Campaign, a campaign to turn San Francisco into the first hepatitis B-free city in the nation.
“We’re a new campaign geared to eliminate the transmission and prevention of hepatitis b, and we’re grateful for this opportunity to raise money for this effort,” said Janet Zola of the S.F. Hep B Free Campaign.
Nonprofits can download the application at mmfoundation.org.
