Nordstrom Announces Beneficiaries for Hawaii Opening Gala
Gala featuring runway fashion show to benefit Bishop Museum, Hawaii Theatre Center and HUGS
SEATTLE, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nordstrom, one of the nation's leading fashion specialty retailers, will kick off the opening of its first Hawaii full-line store with an evening gala on Wednesday, March 5, 2008. The fashionable fête will benefit Bishop Museum, Hawaii Theatre Center and HUGS (Help, Understanding & Group Support).
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Guests will enjoy lavish hors d'oeuvres, cocktails and buffets, live entertainment and the opportunity to do some "sneak preview" shopping in the new 210,000-square-foot specialty store. The highlight of the evening will be a full runway fashion show of American and European designer spring collections in a tent adjacent to the store. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. The event, entirely underwritten by Nordstrom, is expected to raise $300,000 to be shared equally among the three organizations.
"Bishop Museum is delighted to be a beneficiary of the Nordstrom gala next March," says Amy Miller Marvin, vice president for institutional advancement for Bishop Museum. "Nordstrom is already a terrific community partner with a demonstrated commitment to foster culture and the arts here in Hawaii. The funds raised at the gala benefit will help to support the Museum's many cultural and educational programs."
"It is truly an honor to be selected as one of the beneficiaries of the Nordstrom grand opening gala," said Sarah Richards, president of Hawaii Theatre Center. "This support not only will benefit the Theatre's educational programming, but also helps the Theatre make its state-of-the-art facilities available to other nonprofit arts organizations."
"We are grateful to Nordstrom for selecting our organization as a beneficiary of their grand opening gala next March. HUGS is honored to be among a prestigious group that includes Bishop Museum and Hawaii Theatre Center," said Donna Witsell, Executive Director of HUGS. "The funds raised will help to ensure that not a single family in need of our services is ever turned away."
"We couldn't be more excited about opening our first store in Hawaii," said Brian Tatsumura, Nordstrom Ala Moana Center store manager. "At Nordstrom, supporting our community is a key part of doing business and we are especially honored to be partnering with these three organizations. The arts and children are an important part of Hawaii's legacy and future."
Honorary Chairs for the evening are Al and Sue Landon. The event co-chairs Allison Holt Gendreau, Beth Bowlen Harbottle and Jean Rolles are working diligently to ensure the nights' success. Tickets for the opening gala are $150 per person. For more information, please call the Hawaii Theatre Center at (808)723-1879. Tickets will go on sale to the public on November 27, 2007. Space is limited and there is a limit of 10 tickets per person. Nordstrom Ala Moana Center will open on Friday, March 7, 2008.
The mission of Bishop Museum is to study, preserve, and tell the stories of the natural and cultural history of Hawaii and the Pacific. Bishop Museum is recognized as the principal museum of the Pacific, housing the world's largest collection of Hawaiian and Pacific artifacts and natural history specimens. For more information visit http://www.bishopmuseum.org or call (808) 847-3511.
The Hawaii Theatre Center was established in 1984 as a private nonprofit organization to restore and operate the historic Hawaii Theatre as a multi-purpose performance facility for artistic, cultural, entertainment and educational events and to promote the redevelopment of the downtown Honolulu/Chinatown area. Listed on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places, the 1,400-seat Hawaii Theatre was recognized by the League of Historic American Theatre as the 2005 Outstanding Historic Theatre in America. In 2006, the organization received a National Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Theatre celebrated its 85th anniversary in September, 2007.
HUGS (an acronym for Help, Understanding & Group Support) is a non-profit agency, unique to Hawaii, whose mission is to provide a wide variety of free support services to families across the state, who have a child, birth to age 21, diagnosed as having a life-threatening illness or a medically fragile condition. HUGS serves the entire family by facilitating peer interaction at family gatherings and coordinating volunteers who provide family support, hospital visits, and respite care. The agency is a common link in the state of Hawaii for families experiencing similar problems as a result of their child's illness. On any given day, HUGS serves approximately 150 families across the state. HUGS has supported Hawaii's seriously ill children and their families free of charge for more than 25 years.
Nordstrom, Inc. is one of the nation's leading fashion specialty retailers, with 161 U.S. stores located in 28 states. Founded in 1901 as a shoe store in Seattle, today Nordstrom operates 101 Full-Line Stores, 51 Nordstrom Racks, two Jeffrey boutiques, four Faconnable boutiques, one freestanding shoe store and two clearance stores. Nordstrom also serves customers through its online presence at http://www.nordstrom.com and through its catalogs. Nordstrom, Inc. is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol JWN.
SOURCE Nordstrom, Inc.
10/29/2007
CONTACT: Pamela Perret of Nordstrom, Inc., +1-206-373-3171,
Pamela.Perret@nordstrom.com
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