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An Evening With Champions
October 15-16, 2011
The 2011 Evening with Champions skating show marks the 41st year of Harvard University's partnership with Jimmy Fund and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for children. The show features World and Olympic figure skating champions as well as local skaters. Together, they create a show of unrivaled quality. In the past, skaters such Scott Hamilton, Kristi Yamaguchi, Brian Boitano, Paul Wylie, Michelle Kwan, Ilia Kulik, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Ludmilla and Oleg Protopopov, Oksana Baiul, Nancy Kerrigan and countless others have graced the Harvard ice with their talent.
In 1970, a routine checkup at Children's Memorial Hospital provided the inspiration for An Evening with Champions. There, John Misha Petkevich, then a junior at Harvard, met several children being treated for leukemia. Feeling a strong desire to help those children with cancer, Misha and other students at Harvard's Eliot House turned their goodwill into a reality only a few weeks later by organizing an exhibition of nationally-ranked figure skaters in the first An Evening with Champions show.
Today, the students of Harvard continue in the tradition of benevolence and excellence established so long ago. Students organize the entire exhibition, from ticket sales to backstage setup. And the students contribute more than just their time: during the weekend of the performance, members of Eliot House yield their beds and their rooms to the guest skaters, who can then reside comfortably only minutes away from the skating rink. Most importantly, the students stay in touch with the children of the Jimmy Fund, whom we support with all our hearts.
Since its inception, the show has been extremely successful, raising nearly $3 million for the Jimmy Fund. The money has come from different sources: individuals donors, corporate sponsors, silent auctions, and ticket sales. Such fundraising accomplishment reflects the popularity and respect that An Evening with Champions has earned among fans and performers.
Thousands come to see the exhibition every year, and it holds a very special place in the hearts and minds of everyone involved.
The start time for the show on Saturday October 15, 2011 is 7:00 pm, and the start on Sunday October 16 is 2:00 pm.
Contact Information & Address:
An Evening With Champions (Harvard Bright Hockey Center)
79 North Harvard Street, Allston, MA 02134
617.942.1392
aneveningwithchampions.org
