CELEBRITY WAITERS LUNCHEON TO BESTOW 2016 VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY AWARD

 

TO PUGET SOUND BUSINESS JOURNAL COLUMNIST PATTI PAYNE

The Celebrity Waiters Luncheon (CWL) Board of Directors will bestow Patti Payne, a Seattle journalist, icon, and business leader for more than 30 years, with the 2016 Voice of the Community Award. The honor will take place at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel on Friday, May 13, 2016. This award acknowledges Payne’s long-standing commitment to keeping the greater Seattle area informed about the happenings (good or bad) around Puget Sound. The award also recognizes Payne as a community leader who has gone above and beyond her professional call of duty to make an outstanding public service contribution to the Seattle community.

“It is an honor to present Patti Payne with the Voice of Community Award by recognizing her outstanding leadership as a trusted journalist and business woman,” said Gene Juarez, Celebrity Waiters Luncheon Board Member. “Patti Payne has been an inspiration for many of us with her unwavering dedication to the citizens of Washington state.”

Payne is a sought-after keynote speaker as well as emcee, who has raised the bar at charity and professional events regionally over the years. She sits on a variety of boards, such as Cancer Lifeline – Advisory, American Red Cross – Advisory, Treehouse – Advisory, and is a longtime member of the Community Development Roundtable. Payne is also an accomplished professional musician, and when she isn’t being the voice of the community, you can find her appearing as a vocalist and drummer in the John Ellis jazz band.

Alongside other business achievements, Payne’s professional and civic activities have been recognized by countless coveted press awards, such as AP/UPI, Sigma Delta Chi, and NY Radio Festival; and community awards such as Seattle Woman of the Year, Women in Communications Torchbearer, and Puget Sound Business Journal Woman of Influence. She was the honoree of the annual Washington News Council Gridiron East dinner in 2013.

“I am greatly humbled and honored to be receiving the Voice of the Community Award, and would like to offer my deepest appreciation to the Celebrity Waiters Luncheon Board,” states Patti. “Every day I get to do what I love and I did not make the journey here alone. Countless people have supported me along the way. Thank you.”

For more information, contact Suzanne Hight at (206) 236-6167, or visit www.celebritywaiters.org.

About Patti Payne

Patti Payne is the principal of The Payne Group, Communicating and Connecting – a public affairs and community relations consulting business. She is also a well-known, popular columnist for the Puget Sound Business Journal, as well as a much-awarded media personality and news anchor in the Seattle area for more than 30 years.

About Celebrity Waiters Luncheon 

The Celebrity Waiters Luncheon was founded in 1984 by Gene Juarez with the help of Dick Friel, Michael Malone, David Wymann, Jr. (Phil Smart, Jr.), Brooks Whittle, and Ron Neubauer. Their objective was to create a unique and innovative lunchtime auction comprised with key business and community leaders. Guests are invited to sit at their table and are waited on by their Celebrity Waiter host. The waiter encourages their table guests to bid on auction items, donate through raise the paddle and “tip” their waiter throughout this fun-filled, themed event. This inventive formula has made Celebrity Waiters Luncheon one of the most successful daytime Seattle auctions for over 30 years. The Celebrity Waiters Luncheon Organization serves the Puget Sound area by annually raising funds for local charitable organizations in the areas of Education, Health, Human Services, and Children/Youth.