On Wednesday, April 14, over 400 generous donors joined current and former NBA and WNBA players to raise more than $1.3 million for Autism Speaks and The Gillen Brewer School at the “Tip-Off for a Cure” gala dinner. The setting at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City was magnificent with cocktails and press photos in the Great Hall and the Temple of Dendur lit up for dinner.

Ginger Donnan Events was honored to be involved in this year’s fundraiser, organizing the guest list and volunteer responsibilities. This was our first opportunity to work with BidPal, which the engaged crowd used to bid on one-of-a-kind silent auction items. Each device was pre-set with guest information, including table numbers. Since guests were lined up outside the museum until the doors opened at 6:30 p.m., this helped to speed the check-in process.

Once dinner was underway, honorees from Alcoa, Allen & Company, FedEx and Morgan Stanley accepted awards and special guest Taylor Crowe spoke about his experiences living with autism.