Who: A two-degrees-of-separate crowd who gobbled up the $75-$500 a head tickets
What: Patrick Brandt “Live Life, Give Love” Celebration
When: August 21, 2008
Where: Myth Nightclub, Maplewood
Why: To raise funds for Brandt’s family
The name of the event said it all. The hundreds of people who filled the night club where there to celebrate the life of a husband, father, brother, friend, neighborhood, and coworker who lost his battle to a brain tumor earlier this year. Leading the charge that raised tens of thousands of dollars for Brandt’s family (and the American Cancer Society) was hometown hero and NHL star Bret Hedican, who tapped his world-class Rolodex (including wife Kristi Yamaguchi) to create a one-of-a-kind party that included headliner Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 fame. Live auction packages included VIP access to next season’s Dancing with the Stars (three package sold at $5,000 each), backstage passes to a Jonas Brothers show (a pair selling for $16,000), a private ice skating party for twenty people with Hedican and Yamaguchi ($8,000), and a guitar autographed by Rob Thomas ($15,000).
