The American Psychiatric Foundation will host its annual benefit, this year titled “Georgia on My Mind,” at the High Museum of Art on Saturday, May 21, in Atlanta. Participants will be able to tour the museum's exhibitions and permanent collection of art, enjoy nouvelle Southern cuisine and live music, and participate in a silent art auction.
“This year's benefit promises to be unforgettable,” said foundation president Altha J. Stewart, M.D. “The High Museum is a wonderful venue for enjoying an evening of Southern hospitality, greeting new friends and old, and recognizing our colleagues for their outstanding philanthropy.”
In addition to raising awareness and support for the foundation's philanthropic mission, “Georgia on My Mind” will honor recipients of the second annual Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health (see
page 3) and recognize individuals who have achieved membership in the foundation's highest levels of annual and lifetime giving.
The foundation will introduce a new feature at this year's benefit, a silent art auction. Proceeds will benefit Skyland Trail, the foundation's Atlanta community partner and the APA 2004 Psychiatric Services Gold Achievement Award winner for community-based programs. Skyland Trail offers an innovative art therapy program, and a unique selection of artwork created by Skyland Trail clients will be sold at the silent auction along with favorites such as vacation and travel packages.
“We are thrilled to be the foundation's partner in `Georgia on My Mind,'” said Elizabeth Finnerty, executive director of Skyland Trail.“ This event will showcase the artistic achievements of many Georgians recovering from mental illness while also reducing the stigma associated with mental illness. I can only imagine how exciting it will be for our artists to have their works actually displayed and sold in a museum.”
Tickets are $150 per person, of which $100 is tax deductible. In addition, both individuals and corporations can support the benefit through in-kind contributions to the silent auction, event supporterships, and advertisements in the foundation's silent auction program and catalogue. The price for a quarter-page ad is $75, a half-page ad is $150, and a full-page ad is $200.
The benefit is supported by a number of industry donors, including AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen Pharmaceutica Products, Abbott Laboratories, Cyberonics, Forest Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Wyeth, and Professional Risk Management Services.
Tickets for “Georgia on My Mind” can be purchased at the foundation's Web site at<www.psychfoundation.org/aboutapf/events.cfm> or from Mary Claire Leftwich at (703) 907-8512. More information on silent auction donations, event supporterships, and ads in the silent auction program is available from Michele Werner by phone at (703) 907-8519 or e-mail at [email protected].▪
