Santa Clara University: NCCJ 40th Anniversary Dinner Honors Charles Geschke of Adobe Systems and Paul Locatelli, President of SCU with Exemplary Community Leadership Award

Business Wire, March 29, 2005

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Forty years is a long time. It is often a time to reflect on the success and achievement of one's life. It is a mid-point where one is not old, but wiser and still ready to fight the good fight. So as it turns 40, and still very much active in the fight against racism and bigotry, the National Conference for Community & Justice Silicon Valley (NCCJ) will host its annual gala and fundraiser on Sat., May 14th, 2005 at the San Jose Fairmont Hotel, 6 p.m.-- 10 p.m.

Event co-chairpersons are William R. Hambrecht, founder of the investment group WR Hambrecht & Co; Donald L. Lucas, Silicon Valley venture capitalist; Irwin Federman, venture capitalist and founder of many tech companies; and Larry Sonsini, of Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich and Rosatti, the preeminent legal firm in Silicon Valley. They will present the NCCJ's 2005 Exemplary Community Leadership Awards to Dr. Charles Geschke, co-founder of Adobe Systems, and Paul Locatelli S.J., president of Santa Clara University.

"I have been a witness to the vibrancy and progress that permeates an industry and a community when cultural diversity flourishes and discrimination of any kind, is routinely and without ceremony alleviated," said Dr. Geschke. "Indeed, Adobe owes much of its success to the cultural diversity that is a hallmark of the technology industry."

"Education is the most compelling means for breaking down barriers between people of different backgrounds and reducing racism and bigotry," said Paul Locatelli, S.J. "It is arguably the single most important way of raising society's quality of life, which includes freedom from fear of cultural, religious, and ethnic oppression."

Tickets for the event are $250 each. A hosted cocktail reception begins at 6:00 p.m. with dinner and presentations in the Imperial Ballroom afterward. Cabaret music and schmoozing begin around 9:30 p.m. after the program.

Other sponsorship opportunities are available. One "Title" sponsorship at $50,000; "Angel" sponsorships at $25,000; "Founder Leadership" sponsorships at $10,000; "Founders Circle" sponsorships at $5,000; "Patron" table sponsorships (seating for 10) at $2,500; and "Benefactor" at $1,000. Media sponsors are NBC11 and the Silicon Valley Business Journal.

If interested in sponsorship or attending, call Kate Torkaman at: 408-286-9663 ext. 327.

About NCCJ

The National Conference for Community & Justice has led the fight against bigotry, racism and exclusion nationwide for 77 years. The organization empowers people of diverse backgrounds to build just communities where each person is treated with respect and understanding.

Each year and through a variety of programs, NCCJ Silicon Valley reaches 20,000 victims of crime, 14,000 youth and educators, 500 community volunteers and leaders and engages more than 300 faith leaders in innovative educational programs throughout the Silicon Valley.

For more information contact Bart Charlow, Executive Director, 408-286-9663, ext. 326, or bcharlow@nccj.org. www.nccjsv.org.

About Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located in California's Silicon Valley, offers its 8,213 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master's and law degrees. Distinguished nationally by the fourth-highest graduation rate among all U.S. masters' universities, California's oldest higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. More information is online at www.scu.edu.