The David Arthur Team
Last summer Pam Harter, Director of Sales and Marketing at David Arthur Vineyards in Napa Valley, approached owner David Long about holding a 25th anniversary party for their vineyard. “After some discussion, we decided to create a theme around a familiar movie series that was also popular back in the 80’s — Back to the Future,” says Pam. David had met Michael J. Fox in 2001 at another Napa Valley fundraising dinner supporting The Michael J. Fox Foundation. So they decided to turn their “David Arthur, Back to the Future Celebration” into a fundraiser for Team Fox.
One year later, their anniversary party has grown into a full-blown gala, with a special dinner prepared by Iron Chef winner Viet Phan, live music and amazing auction items. Over 300 guests will attend the event at the David Arthur Winery on Saturday, June 22, including celebrities such as Heather Locklear and Emilio Estevez.
Pam and David were surprised how quickly their event grew. “It seems like once word got out we were making the anniversary into a fundraising event, all of the vineyard’s friends wanted to be involved. The phone has been ringing every day with people who want to offer support or sponsorships. The mission to find a cure for Parkinson’s seems to have hit home with many of David’s guests.” The David Arthur Vineyard team has now reset their expectations and hopes to raise over $300,000, which would make it one of the largest Team Fox fundraisers ever!
Even after spending a tremendous amount of time and effort planning their first Team Fox event, Pam believes they can turn it into an annual fundraiser for the vineyard and Team Fox. “I’ll definitely need a planning committee for next year,” she joked, “and start a lot sooner. Now that I know so many people are willing to help out, we’d like to continue to raise funds and awareness for MJFF…but we’ll be sure to enjoy this celebration first.”
Best of luck to David and his team, we look forward to hearing how everything goes this weekend!
Please visit David Arthur Vineyards to learn more about attending and supporting Saturday's Back to the Future Gala Dinner and Celebration.