SEMA News - May 2009

SEMA EVENTS

The 2009 SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser

The SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser is the setting where SEMA-member companies contribute to two particularly worthy causes: Childhelp and the Victory Junction Gang Camp.

Service takes many forms. Every company in the specialty-equipment industry benefits from those who give their time, skill and energy to help SEMA businesses thrive and prosper. The SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser, to be held this year on Saturday, August 1, 2009, at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California, provides highly deserved recognition for those who have worked to better not only their own businesses, but the industry as a whole. And it also offers the opportunity to give back to those most in need through charitable acts.

The SEMA Board of Directors is a wholly volunteer group of talented industry leaders who are chosen by the membership to steer the association in times of both prosperity and challenge. The gala event allows SEMA members to thank the directors who have completed their terms and to welcome those who have been newly elected to provide continuing guidance through their vision, knowledge and expertise. It is also the venue where the newest selections for the SEMA Hall of Fame are introduced. Those chosen for induction represent individual dedication, service and devotion to the industry.

“Our Hall of Fame inductees are individuals who have made tremendous contributions toward shaping the industry,” said SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting. “These are the leaders who carved the path and set a standard of innovation and excellence which inspires us today.”

The SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser is also the setting where SEMA-member companies contribute to two particularly worthy causes: Childhelp, which supports victims of child abuse, and the Victory Junction Gang Camp, which helps to enrich the lives of children suffering from chronic medical conditions or illnesses. It’s no accident that these two charities benefit children—those most in need of care yet least able to help themselves. SEMA’s second annual Pinewood Drag Race will again be the centerpiece in that effort, attempting to match or exceed the $40,000 raised through last year’s competition.

	The SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser will be held this year on Saturday, August 1, 2009, at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California.

About 150 cars were entered in the 2008 running. The stock cars were built by children at their camps and then sponsored by SEMA-member companies through their donations to the charities. SEMA manufacturers were allowed to design and build their own entries for the Modified class.

eBay Motors has signed on to be presenting sponsor of the 2009 races, which will be held from 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. on August 1. The finals will take place shortly before the banquet begins.

“We are thrilled to have eBay Motors as this year’s presenting sponsor for the SEMA Pinewood Drag Race,” said Joel Ayres, chairman of the SEMA Cares Committee. “This just shows that even in a challenging economy, SEMA members are willing to step up and help these children have a better life.”

The Pinewood Drag Race and the Installation Banquet will cap three days of SEMA activities that begin on Thursday, July 30, and include individual and collective council meetings, Board of Directors functions, a State of the Association address and town hall meeting, and the annual Internet Symposium. For complete details, visit www.sema.org/gala. For more information about the Pinewood Drag Race or any of the other activities that will take place in conjunction with the SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser, contact Lisa Moreno at 909/396-0289 ext. 105.