Maurice Lucas Foundation to hold 12th annual gala in person on Sept. 10
Honorees include Trail Blazer Brian Grant and Dark Horse Comics CEO Mike Richardson
PORTLAND, Ore. – Five hundred of Portland’s sports, society and community stars will come out Saturday night, Sept. 10, to the Maurice Lucas Foundation’s annual gala to help raise funds for Portland’s children.
A few tickets are still available for 12th annual black-tie dinner and auction at the Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center. This will be the first time in three years the foundation has been able to hold the gala in person.
The event will run 5:30-9 p.m., followed by an after-party with a fun casino, music by Trail Blazers DJ O.G.One, dancing, photo booth and more food. The $500 tickets are available for purchase at ml20.org.
KOIN-TV news anchor Ken Boddie will return as the host, aided by Maurice Lucas Foundation founder and Executive Director David Lucas and auctioneer Johnna Lee Wells. Trail Blazer announcer Kevin Calabro will also participate in the program.
The foundation’s goal is to raise $800,000 at the event to help fund the free academic and athletic programs, as well as college scholarships, it provides to Portland metropolitan youths.
The auction items will include luxury vacations to Mexico, Hawaii, Italy and Bandon Dunes; sports memorabilia; wine; and jewelry.
Two Awards This Year
At the gala, the foundation will present its annual Enforcer Award to Portland former Trail Blazer power forward Brian Grant.
“During his 12 years in the NBA, Brian established a reputation for his hard work and supreme effort. Since retiring from the league in 2006, he’s become a huge advocate for the community,” said Lucas. “He has been an active supporter of our foundation since our beginning.”
The foundation will also present its first ever Legacy Award to Dark Horse Comics founder and CEO Mike Richardson.
“Mike has been one of the most generous financial supporters ever of our organization,” said Lucas. “He’s been with us since our inception and has never stopped helping our group to establish its legacy.”
Dark Horse, Q5id Guardian and SkyPoint Cloud are serving as the presenting sponsors this year. Other sponsors include Portland Trail Blazers, Jordan Brand, LUXE Forbes Global Properties, Columbia Distributing, Anderson Construction, Moss Adams, Stoel Rives, Safeway Foundation, I&E Construction, Wyld CBD, Wild Roots Spirits and many others.
Presenting Sponsors
About the Maurice Lucas Foundation
The Foundation is named in honor of the late Maurice Lucas (1952-2010), the leading scorer on the 1977 NBA champion Trail Blazers team. Besides his outstanding achievements on the court, Lucas also selflessly gave his time and energy to Portland youth. Since its formation in 2010, the Maurice Lucas Foundation has served thousands of students and families through its Academy program, basketball camps and teams.