When the 2005 NBA All Star weekend begins in Denver, one of the hottest tickets in town won’t have anything to do with the game. Behind the Bench, The National Basketball Wives Association, will host a first-class event that will bring together NBA stars (past and present) and other celebrities for a night of high energy and excitement to benefit the Denver Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

“We are quite pleased with what we have in store for our guests,” said Shirley Seals, Behind the Bench president. “Our members along with representatives from the Denver Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation are working very hard to ensure the gala’s success.”

Behind the Bench will raise money for the organization during its annual “Touching a Life” Gala, Friday, February 18, in the Seawell Grand Ballroom of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, located at 1245 Champa. Guests will experience five-star cuisine, a performance by the Hazel Miller Band, a high energy fashion show, silent auction and an awards presentation. Music diva Patti LaBelle will receive the organization’s 2005 ‘Touching a Life” award for her tireless support of cancer research. Denver Nuggets star Marcus Camby, physician Dr. Tim Byers, Safeway, Inc., and Exempla St. Joseph Hospital will also be recognized during the event. The gala is open to the public with individual tickets priced at $500. The event kicks off the NBA All Star weekend, and it is considered one of All Star weekend’s classiest events.

“The excitement is certainly building as we approach February 18,” said Dr. Marty Zamora, Denver Affiliate board president. “The unique aspect of this event for those who will attend is that everyone is considered a VIP. That means they will have unrestricted access to some of the NBA’s past and present stars and other celebrities.”

This is Behind the Bench’s ninth annual charitable gala. The organization has raised more than $1 million for a number of charitable organizations that aid women and children. The mission of the NBA Wives Association is to enhance communities through volunteer service, and to financially assist deserving charitable organizations with its major fundraiser during the NBA All Star weekend.

Behind the Bench, The National Basketball Wives Association, is the first players’ wives organization born of a professional sport. Members of this organization include wives of active and retired professional basketball players. The organization was established in 1993. Behind the Bench’s charitable trust was established a year later and is the corner stone of the group.

Last year, the Denver affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation awarded $2.6 million in grants for education, screening, treatment and treatment support projects focused on serving medically underserved women and men in the Denver metropolitan area. In addition, the affiliate contributed more than $600,000 to cutting edge breast cancer research through the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Award and Research Grant Program.

For more information about The “Touching a Life” Gala, visit

http://www.denver.susangkomen.org  or http://www.behindthebench.org