Guests attending the 34th annual Speedway Children's Charities Gala presented by Sonic Automotive on Wednesday, May 21, will be treated to a concert by The Avett Brothers and a special menu prepared by celebrity chef Lorena Garcia.
The sold-out, black-tie affair will be held at The Ritz-Carlton in uptown Charlotte, N.C. and hosted by FOX Sports personality Krista Voda. Many NASCAR drivers, personalities and industry executives will be among the 400 guests in attendance. Festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m.
"To have The Avett Brothers and Lorena Garcia at this year's Speedway Children's Charities Gala will make for a truly special night," said Marcus Smith, president of Speedway Children's Charities. "We always want to make the gala an unforgettable experience for those attending as they help us raise money for local children in need, and to have these incredible guests with us only makes for an even better evening."
The Avett Brothers, whose founding members Seth and Scott Avett are from Concord, N.C., is an Americana band with a major national following. They'll get the crowd swaying with their unique blend of music, including their hit songs "I and Love and You," "Live and Die," "Morning Song," "Another is Waiting" and more.
Garcia, a Miami-based restaurateur and one of the country's top Latina chefs, will whet the appetites of guests with special preparations such as Grouper a la Plancha with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. The celebrity chef has made appearances on Bravo as a guest chef on its "Top Chef All-Stars," on NBC as a chef on "The Biggest Loser" and a judge and investor on "America's Next Great Restaurant."
Also part of the gala is a silent auction with dozens of exclusive items available, including tickets to Super Bowl XLIX, tickets to American Idol in 2015, a Golden Labrador puppy and a limited edition Mossberg duck gun autographed by four members of the Robertson family, Willie, Jase, Si and Phil, from the hit TV Show Duck Dynasty.
The gala is one of the premier fundraising events in the Charlotte area, and proceeds will benefit the grant program of Speedway Children's Charities Charlotte Chapter.
Since founded by Bruton Smith in 1982, Speedway Children's Charities has distributed more than $40 million to deserving non-profit organizations nationally, including nearly $10 million in the Charlotte region to improve the quality of life for children in need. For more information about Speedway Children's Charities and how you can help children in need, visit www.charlotte.speedwaycharities.org.
About Speedway Children's Charities
The mission of Speedway Children's Charities remains true to the ideals it was founded upon in 1982: To care for children in educational, financial, social and medical need in order to help them lead productive lives. SCC provides funding for hundreds of nonprofit organizations throughout the nation that meet the direct needs of children. Our vision is that every child has the same opportunities no matter what obstacle they are facing.