Mission Hospital’s 17th annual black-tie gala raised $1.1 million for its hospitals in Mission Viejo and Laguna Beach.
About 600 people attended the event at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort.
Sponsors included Nolet Spirits U.S.A.; Nolet Spirits executives Bill Eldien and Ed Jordan, who also chaired the gala; as well as Hollencrest Capital Management, among several others.
Mazda North American Operations in Irvine donated a 2013 Mazda Miata MX-5 Grand Touring car for the auction.
Gross Donation
Bill and Sue Gross have given $2 million to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian to establish the Gross Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Oncoplastic Breast Surgery. Bill Gross is cofounder and managing director of Newport Beach-based bond manager Pacific Investment Management Co.
The donation was made in honor of Dr. Melvin Silverstein, medical director of the Breast Care Center at Hoag. Silverstein, a renowned breast cancer surgeon, will use the money to further his work and train other breast cancer specialists.
Center Club Reopens
The Center Club in Costa Mesa raised $30,000 at its annual Charity Classic Fundraiser.
The fundraiser and a reopening ceremony honored the club’s founder, Henry T. Segerstrom.
The social, business and dining club recently finished a multimillion-dollar renovation, the largest in the Center Club’s 27-year history.
More than 400 members, guests, sponsors and city officials attended.
Richard Ward and Liza Krassner served as the event co-chairs.
Sponsors of the event included Abel Law Offices, HPM Partners and Richard Van Meter, among others.
Center Club is part of the Dallas-based ClubCorp chain of clubs.
Juicy Donation
Irvine-based Juice It Up! found a unique way to contribute.
The chain of juice shops mentored and trained Kaz Hirama, a resident at Tustin-based Orange County Rescue Mission’s Village of Hope, a transitional-housing program.
Hirama, who is also known as “Koz,” works in the kitchen at Village of Hope, where he regularly comes up with new juice concoctions made from fruits and vegetables.
The Rescue Mission contacted the juice shop to see if it might like to help out.
Juice It Up! trained Koz to become a “juice master.”
He learned how to make juice blends that are nutritious and taste good for Village residents.
Koz learned food preparation and safe food handling, knife skills, and how to use, assemble and disassemble a commercial juicer.
Noah Burgess, Juice It Up!’s product research and development technologist, is Koz’s mentor.
Talonvest’s $20K
Talonvest Capital Inc., a Costa Mesa commercial real estate advisory services company, donated $20,000 to Newport Beach-based Band of Brothers Foundation.
The foundation supports children with various needs, locally and internationally.
Eric Snyder, principal of Talonvest, founded the Band of Brothers Foundation with Troy Mikulka, who operates the foundation.
Jim Davies, Talonvest principal and cofounder, serves on the foundation’s board of directors.
“Precious Souls”
Laguna Hills-based Saddleback Memorial Foundation and its Baby Alumni Club raised $18,000 at its seventh annual A Toast to Precious Souls wine-tasting event and auction.
The proceeds will benefit women and children’s services provided by The Women’s Hospital at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center, which includes the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Saddleback Memorial Medical Center, a not-for-profit hospital, has medical centers in Laguna Hills and San Clemente.
Two Saddleback Memorial nurses were recognized for their service to the hospital and their patients: Susan Rulloda, a NICU nurse from Aliso Viejo, and Christine McCoy, a nurse from San Clemente. They were presented with the 2013 Nurse of the Year award.
Sponsors who helped put on the gala included Epic Systems Corp., South Orange County Pediatrics Associates and others.
Event donors included Laguna Hills businesses Total Wine & More and StressBusters Wellness Day Spa.
OC Bar at Laura’s House
The Orange County Bar Association hosts monthly pro bono legal clinics for Laura’s House residents.
Some of the attorneys who volunteer their time to help the residents are Robert Clemons and Courtney Winzeler Smith of Santa Ana-based Prenovost, Normandin, Bergh & Dawe.
Laura’s House helps domestic-violence victims.
Clients need legal help regarding issues such as paternity, custody and visitation, and child support or restraining order protection.
