Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (NYSE: BPI), a provider of post-secondary education services focused on providing higher access to higher education, rang in the holidays early this year by sponsoring the Gingerbread City 2009 gala and helping to raise $80,000 for the Epilepsy Foundation of San Diego. The annual event, held on Dec. 1 at the elegant Grand Del Mar hotel, is the largest fundraiser of the year for the non-profit organization.
Gingerbread City 2009 brought together many of Southern California’s top chefs for the largest nationally recognized gingerbread design competition on the West Coast. Each of the elaborate structures was based on popular fairytales or works of literature, such as Alice in Wonderland and Jack and the Beanstalk, to reflect the event’s theme of “The Greatest Stories Ever Told.” At the end of the gala, all of the gingerbread creations were auctioned off to benefit the Epilepsy Foundation.
The evening also featured a silent auction, wine and champagne from Thornton Wineries, and delicious food prepared by San Diego’s best restaurants.
Andrew Clark, Bridgepoint Education’s chief executive officer, served as the Honorary Chairman of Gingerbread City 2009. In addition, he helped raise $24,250 in donations for the Epilepsy Foundation of San Diego while also contributing another $55,750 from Bridgepoint Education.
“We were pleased to be given the opportunity for Bridgepoint to sponsor the Gingerbread City gala and to support such a worthy organization as the Epilepsy Foundation,” Clark said. “The Foundation provides so much in the way of free counseling, education, and services to all those affected by epilepsy in San Diego County. I was more than happy to serve as the Honorary Chairman of this wonderful San Diego tradition and to help further the Epilepsy Foundation’s important mission.”
About Bridgepoint Education
Bridgepoint Education’s postsecondary education services focus on offering associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in such disciplines as business, education, psychology, social sciences and health sciences. Bridgepoint Education’s regionally accredited academic institutions – Ashford University and University of the Rockies – deliver their programs online as well as at traditional campuses located in Clinton, Iowa, and Colorado Springs, Colorado. For more information about Bridgepoint Education, visit www.bridgepointeducation.com or call Shari Rodriguez, director of Public Relations at 858.668.2580.
About the Epilepsy Foundation of San Diego
The Epilepsy Foundation of San Diego County is the only private non-profit health agency providing services to the estimated 30,000 people in San Diego County who have seizure disorders. The Foundation is dedicated to the prevention and control of epilepsy and its consequences and to development of an optimal quality of life for people living with this disorder. Serving San Diego continuously since 1954, the Epilepsy Foundation seeks to accomplish its mission through education, research and service. For more information about the Epilepsy Foundation of San Diego, visit www.epilepsysandiego.org, send an email to info@epilepsysandiego.org or call 619.296.0161.