San Diego – Nice Guys is holding a lunch on Wednesday July 14, 2010 to announce their “Nice Guy of the Year” Peter Farrell.” Farrell will be present at the lunch when the official announcement is made to their general membership:
Nice Guys Lunch and Press Conference
Wednesday, July 14
11:30 Press conference
12:00 lunch and program
The Prado Restaurant in Balboa Park
1549 Prado
San Diego
The Nice Guys, a local non-profit organization, is celebrating its 31st anniversary and will honor Farrell at their major fundraising event in the fall. This year’s dinner will be held at the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina on Saturday, October 16, 2010. Each year, the Nice Guys recognize someone who has given their time, money and support to help San Diegans improve their lives.
Since 1979, Nice Guys has given more than $10.8 million, with 100% of every dollar raised going to individual San Diegans who need a “one time” helping hand to get their lives back on track, as well as to other charitable organizations with a similar mission. Additionally, Nice Guys continues to provide food and financial assistance to hundreds of military families whose loved ones have been deployed to Iraq. The majority of this year’s proceeds will be used to fund the cases identified monthly by the Nice Guys Charity Committee. The balance of the funds raised will be used to assist organizations selected by the Nice Guys and Peter Farrell. The recipients will be announced a few weeks prior to the event in the fall.
Peter Farrell is Founder and Executive Chairman of NYSE-listed ResMed Inc., a global leader in the development, manufacture and marketing of innovative products for the diagnosis, treatment and management of sleep-disordered breathing. Born in Sydney, Australia, he has won numerous civic, academic and professional awards including the Australian, San Diego and US National Entrepreneur of the Year awards for Life Sciences. He holds bachelors and masters degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Sydney and MIT, a PhD in bioengineering from the University of Washington as well as a Doctor of Science from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney for research related to treatment with the artificial kidney. He has published 150 articles in peer-reviewed journals. He also holds fellowships at several universities and academies, including the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. In 2004 he was made a member of the Order of Australia.
Farrell serves on the boards of the UCSD Rady Business School and the Jacobs School of Engineering. He’s current Chair of the Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center at UCSD and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UNSW. He is also Chair of the Executive Council of the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School and President of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.
His numerous charitable interests include MIT, UCSD, UNSW, the University of Sydney, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego and the San Diego and Sydney Operas. He has also gifted a Chair in Sleep Medicine to Harvard and significantly supports the MIT/Harvard Health Science and Technology Program. Along with his wife and three children on the Board, the Farrell Family Foundation contributes to many San Diego and international causes.
“We are privileged to have Dr. Farrell as our Nice Guy of the Year,” said Nice Guys President, Kevin Kelly. “His achievements as a businessman are matched only by his generosity and caring for others in our community. He is a dedicated community leader who has been a long-time contributor to many organizations in San Diego. He exemplifies what the Nice Guys organization and its members are all about.”
The Nice Guys was formed in 1979 to raise money for individuals who need a helping hand up to get their lives back on track. The non-profit organization has no staff and is run entirely by dedicated men and women community volunteers. “Every single dollar we raise goes to needy San Diegans,” said Rupe Linley, this year’s Nice Guy of the Year Committee Chair.
Past recipients of the “Nice Guy of the Year” award include:
Hudson & Bauer John Helmer
Ron Blair Robert Horsman
Bob Breitbard Tawfig Khoury
Terry Brown Bill Kolender
Claire Burgener Frankie Laine
Malin Burnham Gene Luth
Father Joe Carroll John T. Lynch
John Carlson William Lynch
Billy Casper John Moores
John Duffy Dan Mulivihill
Lou Ferrero Frank Rhoades
Dr. Jack Fischer George A. Scott
Ron Fowler Dan Spinazzola
Ernest Hahn Jeffrey Strauss
Gayle Wilson Conrad Prebys
To find out more about the Nice Guys or the Nice Guy of the Year event, contact Kristy Gregg at 619-977-9000 or by email at kristan.gregg@usbank.com.