SOWING THE SEEDS OF LOVE Gala Will Benefit The Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts at Ruth Eckerd Hall

The special event, Sowing The Seeds of Love, will be held on Saturday, October 14 at 6pm to benefit the arts education and community outreach programs at The Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts at Ruth Eckerd Hall.   Honorary Chairs for this gala are founding members and past Chairman of the Board, Barry Alpert and his wife, Judith.  Events sponsors include gold partner, Clearwater Cardiovascular Consultants as well as silver partners, TSE Industries, Inc., and the Klingel Family Foundation.

Special Guest, GRAMMY®-nominated, multi-platinum selling top comedian, Larry The Cable Guy, will sow the laughter while guests enjoy a sumptuous dinner, dancing, and a performance by alumni of the Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts.  The live auction will feature one-of-a-kind experiences and artist treasures from the Ruth Eckerd Hall vault, as well as live entertainment provided by Orlando’s hottest 10-piece party band Frequency.

In making the announcement, Ruth Eckerd Hall President and CEO, Susan M. Crockett said, "We are celebrating 40 years to the day of the first performance on our stage. The landscape has grown more mature and what has been cultivated since 1983 is bearing greater fruit each year for our community.  Access to the arts changes a life in countless ways and so our friends continue to sow for the next generation.  And we always have a great time doing it." 

The Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts at Ruth Eckerd Hall is one of the largest providers of arts education and community engagement experiences in the nation.  Programs offered break through all barriers and boundaries currently impacting over 46,000 students annually of all ages, abilities, and circumstances.  Onsite classes and private lessons in every artistic genre are offered for beginners to explore while more advanced instruction is available to students looking to further their artistic passions. Offsite community engagement initiatives offer access to those in public and private schools, hospitals, community centers, specialty residences, and social service organizations throughout the Tampa Bay area and the State of Florida.  True to the school’s mission, no student is ever turned away due to financial need.

Special guest, GRAMMY®-nominated, multi-platinum selling top comedian and actor Larry the Cable Guy has sold-out theatres and arenas across the United States since 1991 with his wide variety of comedy styles including character, redneck and country and satire.  His first comedy album release Lord, I Apologize has sold more than 500,000 copies and reached gold status.  The CD was #1 on the Billboard Comedy Charts for 15 weeks in a row. Larry co-starred in the Tyler Perry movie A Madea Christmas and is the voice of the beloved character Mater in the Golden Globe® winning animated feature films Cars (2006), Cars 2 (2011) and Cars 3 (2017) from Disney/Pixar.  Other roles include Delta Farce, Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, and Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy Witless Protection.  

Tables are available and as with previous Gala’s it is expected to sell-out.  To reserve a table and for more information, please visit: https://www.rutheckerdhall.com/gala.

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