Our Mission

An Evening with Champions is a student-run organization dedicated to fighting cancer by raising money for the Jimmy Fund, the fundraising arm of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. By organizing a world-class figure skating exhibition at Harvard University we aim to unite skaters, fans and volunteers in the quest for the cure.

Our Story

The 2007 Evening with Champions skating show marks the 38th year of Harvard University's partnership with Jimmy Fund and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In 1970, a routine checkup at Children's Memorial Hospital provided the inspiration for An Evening with Champions . There, John Misha Petkevich, then a junior at Harvard, met several children being treated for leukemia. Feeling a strong desire to help those children with cancer, Misha and other students at Harvard's Eliot House turned their goodwill into a reality only a few weeks later by organizing an exhibition of nationally-ranked figure skaters in the first An Evening with Champions show.

Today, the students of Harvard continue in the tradition of benevolence and excellence established so long ago. The show has developed into a nationally-recognized treasure, now consistently drawing Olympic champions, thousands of spectators and hundreds of Harvard students, not to mention the special guests and sponsors and of course the children for whom the organization exists. Students organize the entire exhibition, from ticket sales to backstage setup. And the students contribute more than just their time: during the weekend of the performance, members of Eliot House yield their beds and their rooms to the guest skaters, who can then reside comfortably only minutes away from the skating rink. Most importantly, the students stay in touch with the children of the Jimmy Fund, whom we support with all our hearts.

An Evening with Champions has always held a high standard of excellence. World and Olympic figure skating champions join local skaters in a show of unrivaled quality. Skaters such Scott Hamilton, Kristi Yamaguchi, Brian Boitano, Paul Wylie, Michelle Kwan, Ilia Kulik, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Ludmilla and Oleg Protopopov, Oksana Baiul, Nancy Kerrigan and countless others have graced the Harvard ice with their talent, and our superb production team guarantees a smooth and beautiful exhibition year after year.

Over the past thirty-seven years, the show has been extremely successful, raising $2.3 million for the Jimmy Fund. Such fundraising accomplishment reflects the popularity and respect that An Evening with Champions has earned among fans and performers. Thousands come to see the exhibition every year, and it holds a very special place in the hearts and minds of everyone involved. Survival rates for pediatric cancer are rising every year because of the efforts of organizations like ours and the interest and support of people like you, and we hope to reach 100% in the not-too-distant future. The 2007 show is shaping up to be one of the best ever, and we hope you will be here to join us in the ongoing quest for the cure.