Classic Tradition
The 2017 Hoag Summer Classic, hosted by the Hoag Hospital Foundation and its 552 Club, was a sold-out event with more than 1,400 guests at the Newport Dunes Resort in Newport Beach. The summer tradition was held on June 28, raising nearly $246,000 for Hoag.
Themed “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the event featured food and beverages from 41 of Orange County’s best restaurants, including Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine & Cocktails, Bayside Restaurant, Bluewater Grill, Boudin Bakery, The Cannery Seafood of the Pacific, El Cholo, Fresh Brothers Pizza, Gabbi’s Mexican Kitchen, Kéan Coffee, Muldoon’s Irish Pub, Newport Rib Co., RED O Taste of Mexico, Royal Thai Cuisine, Rusty Pelican, Taverna Laguna Beach and Water Grill.
Guests also had the chance to purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win gift packages from restaurants and local vendors, among other prizes.
Sponsors included the Gross Family Foundation, Sterling BMW, Beacon Pointe Advisors, CommerceWest Bank, The Northern Trust Co., Pacific Hospitalist Associates and RESCO.
Here’s to Zoo
The Friends of Santa Ana Zoo held its 25th annual Zoofari black-tie gala on Aug. 27. More than 300 guests attended the black-tie event under the stars on the grounds of the Santa Ana Zoo. The fundraiser netted nearly $100,000, which will be used to complete construction of a Giant River Otter exhibit, as well as upgrade other areas of the zoo.
“This is the community that our kids have grown up in. You can’t put a price tag on memories we have had here,” said Howard Hall, managing partner of Hall Huguenien LLP and former president of the nonprofit’s board. “The Santa Ana Zoo is a great place to be a part of the community.”
Peggy Baldwin-Butler, owner of Tudor House Entertainment, and James Howe, president and COO of Bert L. Howe & Associates Inc., were honored at the event. Baldwin-Butler is a longtime supporter and underwriter of Zoofari and the Santa Ana Zoo, and Howe is an instrumental underwriter of the upcoming Fifty Monkey Ferris Wheel, which will be unveiled in December.
A Kure for the Cure
Kure It Cancer Research, a nonprofit organization founded by US Storage Centers Chairman and founder Barry Hoeven, donated $100,000 to the UC Irvine Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. The money will be used to support kidney and colon cancer therapy development and treatment research.
The grant money was raised in partnership with the California Self Storage Association through sponsorships and participation at recent conferences in Napa and Newport Beach.
Todd Perry, CFO of Briggs Electric and president of Kure It Cancer Research’s board of directors, presented the check to the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California-Irvine in July.
“The UC Irvine Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center is a leader in cancer research and an organization we are proud to support,” Perry said. “We will continue to implement creative strategies to raise money to support institutions which are committed to groundbreaking cancer research.”
Ocean Discovery
Caterina’s Club, founded by Bruno Serato, owner of the White House restaurant in Anaheim, hosted its 12th annual Red Carpet Gala fundraiser at the Marconi Automotive Museum on Aug. 27. The sold-out event raised $360,000 to support the nonprofit group’s mission of feeding 3,050 children in need each night, as well as its Welcome Home program, which places families living in squalid motel conditions into cleaner and safer environments.Â
This year’s gala, which attracted 450 guests, honored four longtime Caterina’s Club supporters: conductor Carlo Ponti, founder of the Los Angeles Virtuosi, for introducing children to music through his own foundation; Dr. Kali P. Chaudhuri of KPC Healthcare for his generous financial support; Daniele Struppa, president of Chapman University, for including Caterina’s Club in the student volunteer program at the school; and Chadia Alameddin, chief executive of Betinnis, for organizing and directing fashion shows to raise money for Caterina’s Club.
Bits & Pieces
Irvine-based TRI Pointe Group said it donated $200,000 to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Harvey relief. … The Newport Beach Public Library Foundation donated $155,000 to the library for 10 improvements and community resources, including facility upgrades at the central library and Mariners and Balboa branches. … KidWorks will present its 2017 Dan Donahue Leadership Award to David A. Pyle, philanthropist, founder and chief executive of American Career College, at the KidWorks’ 11th annual Foundation for Success Luncheon on Nov. 2. … Heidi Hendy, managing principal at Newport Beach-based interior architecture firm H. Hendy Associates, raised $1,500 by riding her bicycle from Seattle to Portland in two days for Special Spokes, an OC nonprofit group that provides affordable adaptive tricycles to people with special needs. … The Regional Center of Orange County appointed Clifford “Cliff” Amsden, vice president of Alison Co., and John “Chip” Wright, executive vice president of CBRE, to serve one-year terms on its board of directors. … Several OC architectural, construction, engineering, planning, and design teams gathered for the annual Canstruction design-build competition to create structures out of canned food. At the end of the competition, which runs through Sunday, the food is donated to the OC Food Bank.
