PARSIPPANY — More than 1,000 guests are slated to attend Community Hope’s 20th Annual Sparkle of Hope Dinner Auction on Wednesday, October 19, to honor Kenneth C. Frazier, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Merck. The gala is one of the largest fundraising events in New Jersey and benefits Community Hope’s programs to rescue more than 1,000 veterans and veteran families annually from homelessness. The gala also supports Community Hope’s residential programs serving more than 100 individuals daily in recovery from mental illness. This year’s gala will be held at the Venetian in Garfield.
This will be Community Hope’s largest gala in the 20 years since pharmaceutical leader Fred Hassan, then-Chief Executive Officer of Pharmacia & Upjohn, founded the gala to ensure sufficient community-based services to coincide with the pharmaceutical advancements in mental health treatment. Since 1997, the Sparkle of Hope event has raised more than $8.5 Million and continues to grow into an event that brings together the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in support of a common cause.
Community Hope is recognizing Mr. Frazier and acknowledging Merck’s support of our veterans by their spearheading of the Veterans Justice Initiative, established in 2011 to provide legal aid to the homeless veterans Community Hope serves.
Previously, Mr. Frazier served as president of Merck with responsibility for the company’s three major divisions, Mr. Frazier has held a broad range of senior management positions since joining Merck in 1992 as vice president, general counsel and secretary of the Astra Merck Group. He was elected vice president of Public Affairs in 1994, and, in 1997, assumed the additional responsibilities of assistant general counsel, corporate staff. Mr. Frazier was promoted to vice president and deputy general counsel in January 1999. In December 1999, he became senior vice president and general counsel. In this role, he oversaw Merck’s legal and public affairs functions and The Merck Company Foundation. In November 2006, he was promoted to executive vice president and general counsel. Mr. Frazier served as executive vice president and president, Global Human Health, from 2007 to May 2010, when he became Merck president. Mr. Frazier became CEO and member of the board of directors January 1, 2011, and became chairman of the board on December 1, 2011.
Prior to joining Merck, Mr. Frazier was a partner with the Philadelphia law firm of Drinker Biddle & Reath. He sits on the boards of PhRMA, Weill Cornell Medical College and Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Exxon Mobil Corporation and Cornerstone Christian Academy in Philadelphia, PA. He also is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the President’s Export Council, The Business Council, the Council of the American Law Institute and the American Bar Association. Mr. Frazier received his bachelor’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University and holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Sponsorships and tickets can be reserved online by clicking here. Table Prices range from $2,500.00 to $50,000.00 and individual tickets are $175.00 per person. For more information on the Sparkle of Hope Dinner Auction, visit the events section of Community Hope’s website or contact the Office at (973) 463-9600, extension 308.
