DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Embry-Riddle Athletics' 11th Annual Blue & Gold Gala presented by Daytona Mitsubishi Kia celebrated its most successful fundraising event ever on Friday. The Gala was held at the ICI Center on ERAU's Daytona Beach campus and raised a record $250,000 with all proceeds going to supporting ERAU's 17 sports programs, including student-athlete scholarships.

Daytona Mitsubishi/Kia, owned by ERAU alumnus Richard Nisbett, served as the presenting sponsor for the 11th straight year, while Sodexo, Embry-Riddle's dining services provider, was also a key sponsor, providing food and beverages at no charge.

"What a great night for our University and for our Athletic program," ERAU Director of Athletics John Phillips said. "It's amazing what can happen when you get the right people together — all working in the same direction. Internally, we had great leadership from Julie Rand, while externally, we had a wonderful team of volunteers, chaired by Kelly Ferguson."

"The 2015 Blue and Gold Gala was a sellout this year with over 600 people in attendance and broke our previous fundraising records to support ERAU Athletics," Rand, ERAU's Director of Athletic Development said. "Kelly [Ferguson], our Chairman this year put together a dedicated team of volunteers that helped make the 11th annual Blue and Gold Gala the most successful gala in the history of our program."

Ferguson and the 13 other members of the Blue & Gold Gala Committee helped secure the 250 items featured in the silent, live and online auctions. The items were donated by Daytona Beach area businesses and friends of the University, as well as faculty, staff and on-campus organizations.

For the ninth time, Tom Deery and Dennis Huth were charged with the bid-calling duties for the live auction, which featured a trip to Scotland Cay in the Bahamas, a vacation home in Aspen, Colorado, and the always popular dinner at the home of Steve and Vicky Ridder.

Corporate and individual sponsorships also contributed to the event's success. In addition to Daytona Mitsubishi/Kia's presenting sponsorship, there were six sponsors at the Champions Level of $5,000, including Sodexo, Assured Partners, Florida Hospital, Florida Power & Light, Halifax Health and Pepsi. There were also 18 sponsors at the Eagle Level ($2,500) and 37 at the Coach Level ($1,250).

"When we held the first Blue & Gold Gala 11 years ago, we were happy to get 200 people at this event and to raise $60,000.," Phillips said. "Now, to have over 600 people at our event, and to raise approximately $250,000 is an amazing accomplishment. This event is a great testimony to the relationships we have established in this community. Our coaches and staff have worked tirelessly over the years to make this the best athletic program in the country — what a great night to showcase Embry-Riddle!"

The semiformal event featured a cocktail reception, dinner and an after-party, as well as live musical entertainment from the Love Band. Patrons also had an opportunity to interact with and hear from some of Embry-Riddle's current and former student-athletes, who took time to share their experiences as part of the Eagle family.