The pharmaceutical industry turned out in force for Community Hope’s 20th Anniversary Sparkle of Hope Gala on October 19, 2016. More than 1,100 corporate sponsors and donors supported the event to honor Kenneth C. Frazier, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Merck.
The gala, which is one of the largest fundraising events in New Jersey, benefits Community Hope’s programs to rescue veterans and veteran families from homelessness and combat trauma, and also supports the nonprofit’s residential programs for individuals in recovery from mental illness. Frazier was recognized for Merck’s spearheading of the Veterans Justice Initiative, established in 2011 to provide legal aid to the homeless veterans Community Hope serves.
This event was Community Hope’s largest gala in the 20 years since pharmaceutical leader Fred Hassan, then-Chief Executive Officer of Pharmacia & Upjohn, founded the event to ensure sufficient community-based services to coincide with the pharmaceutical advancements in mental health treatment. Since 1997, the Sparkle of Hope event has raised more than $11 million and continues to grow into an event that brings the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries together in support of a common cause. Co-chairing this year’s event with Mr. Hassan were the leaders of Allergan, Amicus Therapeutics, Celgene Corporation, DRS Technologies, Eisai, Ferring Holding Inc., Honeywell, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, and Pfizer.
