Arts Council Silicon Valley Honors Top Arts Supporters at Silicon Valley Arts & Business Awards Luncheon

San Jose , CA , May 10, 2004 – Arts Council Silicon Valley paid tribute to local individuals and businesses for their significant contributions to local arts and cultural organizations at its Silicon Valley Arts & Business Awards (ABBYs) luncheon, held Friday, May 7, 2004. The proceeds from this fundraising event benefit the PARTNERS grants program of the Arts Council, which annually supports more than 130 arts and cultural organizations throughout Santa Clara County. The ABBYs was the pinnacle of a collaborative, two-day Arts Summit that occurred on May 6 th and 7 th in San Jose.

Nearly 500 corporate, community, arts and civic members gathered at the San Jose Marriott to honor the financial contributions and the countless hours of volunteer service donated by 31 supporters over the last two years. Special recognition was given to one outstanding business or individual in four categories: First Time Business Support, Keynote Systems; Sustained Business Support, Comcast; Individual Business Leadership (two awards this year), Greg Avis, Managing Partner, Summit Partners; and Bob Reay, General Manager, Linear Technology; Individual Civic or Community Leadership,Alcario and Carmen Castellano, Directors, Castellano Family Foundation.

“We honor all the nominees as exemplary role models for their passion and commitment towards the local arts community,” said Bruce W. Davis, executive director of Arts Council Silicon Valley. “The collective support of these nominees is tremendous and we’re proud to shine a light on their contributions.”

Award Recipients

The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation for nearly 40 years of philanthropic leadership and support for the arts. The Hewlett Foundation made its first grant to the arts in 1967 and is now the second largest foundation in Silicon Valley , with assets over $5 billion. The Hewlett Foundation’s broad purpose is to promote the wellbeing of humanity by supporting education, the environment, conflict resolution, population, U.S. Latin American relations, and performing arts.

In 2003, the Hewlett Foundation’s Performing Arts Program awarded 111 grants to performing arts organizations for a total of $16,963,400. Nearly $16 million of this went to groups throughout the 11 counties of the Bay Area, with Santa Clara County receiving a total of $2.5 million. The program represents the best practices in arts grant making by supporting sustainability and growth through multiyear funding, general operating grants, and initiatives that leverage organizational change. The Foundation has also taken an active role in addressing affordable facility and space issues in one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country.

San Jose Mercury News columnist Leigh Weimers was the recipient of a special first-time Spirit of the Arts Award for his passionate voice and ability to use his craft for promoting arts and culture and celebrating life in the valley. Weimers joined the San Jose Mercury News in 1958 and has scribed a regular column since 1965.

Loyal readers flip to his column for the inside skinny on “what’s happening in the world of arts, philanthropy and community service.” Weimers is a frequent patron of performances around the Bay Area and has logged hundreds of volunteer hours over the years as an entertaining master of ceremony at events.

Keynote Systems received the First Time Business Support for their $5,000 sponsorship and volunteer commitment towards “Art in Action,” a structured art program for K-5 classrooms at Turnbull Academy in San Mateo. The company provided employees who volunteered in the classroom assisting teachers during art class and also hosted an art supply drive to gather donated paper, paints and other art supplies.

The Sustained Business Support award was presented to Comcast for their continued title sponsorship of the San Jose Jazz Festival. Comcast’s long-term, multi-year contract with the San Jose Jazz Society has established the event as the largest free jazz festival in the world, with proceeds supporting music education programs for 10,000 local students. With an annual attendance of 150,000, the event has generated millions of dollars ($9.3 million in 2003) in revenue for hotels, restaurants, and other businesses in downtown San Jose during the festival.

The Individual Business Leadership award was given to two worthy recipients this year. Greg Avis, managing partner of Summit Partners, was feted for his board leadership with San Jose Repertory Theatre. Avis has served in many capacities including board president, chair of the long-range planning committee, vice president of board development and primary architect of an update to the long-range strategic plan. Avis’ leadership gifts to the Rep’s endowment campaign and the annual fund set a high standard for fellow board members to give at the highest level possible.

Bob Reay has been a dedicated member of the Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) board of directors since 1999, and has served as chairman for the past three years. Through Reay’s leadership, CSMA launched its capital campaign to build a permanent home and Silicon Valley ’s first-ever Center for Music and Arts Education. Reay was one of the first six-figure capital campaign donors and has contributed nearly $500,000 toward the project. He personally set up CSMA’s MIDI lab for digital music and arts, as well as computer stations for faculty and parents. Under Reay’s leadership, CSMA has become the region’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to arts education.

Alcario and Carmen Castellano received the Individual Civic or Community Leadership award for their time, energy and financial commitment to Latino arts through the Castellano Family Foundation. The couple represented the best in community values when they established their family foundation in 2001, after winning one of California ’s largest SuperLotto jackpots. The Mexican Heritage Plaza, MACLA, Cinequest, Biblioteca, Los Lupeños, Teatro Visión, Latino Film Festival, Mariachi Sol Azteca, MACSA and the Native American Cultural Center are a few of the many groups who’ve received generous support from the foundation.

Honorary Co-Chairs were Jennifer DiNapoli, Community Volunteer and Peter Cartwright, Chairman, President & CEO, Calpine Corporation. Sponsors included Applied Materials; Calpine Corporation; Community Foundation Silicon Valley; eBay Foundation; Finnegan Henderson; Heritage Bank of Commerce; Jerrold Hiura and Lucia Cha; Hopkins & Carley, A Law Corporation; Lockheed Martin; The Mercury News; Peninsula Community Foundation; Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal; NBC 11 and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Incorporated in 1983, Arts Council Silicon Valley is an independent, nonprofit arts agency dedicated to providing funding and advocacy support, and fundraising and marketing services, to the region’s arts organizations and artists. As the official state/local partner with the California Arts Council and the County of Santa Clara , Arts Council Silicon Valley is now the largest nonprofit arts council in the state. Over the past 11 years, the Arts Council has distributed $6.5 million to local arts and cultural organizations, individual artists, schools and community groups.