Owners of Historic Johnny Mercer Estate to Host Event
The 14th Annual Human Rights Campaign Palm Springs Garden Party will take place on Saturday, November 2, 2013 from 2-5 pm at the historic Johnny Mercer Estate, home of hosts and HRC Major Donors Jim Burba and Bob Hayes. The event is co-chaired by HRC Board Directors Andy Linsky and Brad White, and Federal Club member Jackie Thomas. Ms. Thomas, who resides in Palm Springs with her wife DeeAnn McCoy, recently retired from Nike, a major HRC national corporate sponsor, where she held senior executive positions in Brand Marketing, most recently as head of Global Basketball.
“This will be an unforgettable afternoon in support of our fundraising efforts, filled with exciting surprises celebrating the repeal of DOMA and California’s Proposition 8,” says co-chair White. “The Johnny Mercer Estate, graciously offered by Jim Burba and Bob Hayes, is a gorgeous venue with expansive grounds that should help us surpass previous attendance records. Jim and Bob hosted our area steering committee’s very first Garden Party at their Laguna Beach home in 1999, and we are so thrilled to have them host this year’s Palm Springs Garden Party.”
Tickets are $50 for Federal Club members, and $75 for non-members, which includes hors d’oeuvres and hosted bar. The afternoon will also feature a silent auction and remarks from local and celebrity honorees, and tickets include an annual HRC general membership. To purchase tickets, visit hrc.org/psgardenparty. A co-host package is also available for $275 (includes two tickets) and additional sponsorships are available. To date, sponsors include Windermere Real Estate, City of Palm Springs, Palm Springs Life, Desert Outlook, The Standard, and Belvedere Vodka.
The Johnny Mercer Estate, considered a state-of-the-art modern hacienda when it was built in 1945, is where songwriter Mercer lived when he won his four Oscar Awards. Located in the Mesa neighborhood of Palm Springs, the estate is situated on more than an acre and is in good company with the famed Ship of the Desert house nearby. Burba and Hayes, who have owned the property since 2008, say the lighted tennis court, blue mosaic tiled pool and citrus orchard are what sold them on the home.
The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality. For more information about HRC or the Garden Party, please visit hrc.org/psgardenparty or contact Brad White at 760-333-7845 or via email at hrcpalmsprings@gmail.com.
