Bright Lights, Big City
More than 400 guests found themselves transported to 1940s New York on March 3, as they made their way down the red carpet for the Pacific Symphony’s 2018 Gala, On the Town, in celebration of the symphony’s April 21 Carnegie Hall debut. The black-tie event raised more than $1.55 million for the symphony’s array of music and education programs.
Event sponsors included Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin Newport Beach, luxury automotive partner and Regency Air, private charter partner.
The evening’s honorees, Mary Lyons, longtime symphony education committee member, and her husband, 20-year symphony board member and real estate investor Phil Lyons, were named philanthropists of the year.
Sheila and Jim Peterson, chief executive and chairman of Microsemi, were given the Corporate and Community Leadership award.
“For Pacific Symphony, they and Microsemi have been extraordinary investors with their lifetime commitment of over $1 million to music education programs,” said symphony President John Forsyte. “But it is their wonderful exuberance and optimism that inspire our finest work.”
‘Sea’ What Can Be Accomplished
High school students from the Santa Ana-based Nicholas Academic Centers, many of whom had never been on a boat, got a deckside seat to the Henry T. Nicholas III-UC Challenge Cup Regatta in Newport Harbor on March 3.
Nearly 90 aboard the 75-foot Western Pride got the chance to watch five University of California men’s and women’s crew teams as they competed for trophies in the third annual regatta.
The Nicholas Academic Centers were co-founded by Broadcom co-founder Henry Nicholas III. The centers provide underserved students with academic tutoring, counseling, and assistance with college applications, with the goal of becoming college-eligible and receiving scholarships.
“Crew is a sport that requires tremendous commitment, discipline, hard work, heart and character,” Nicholas said. “I believed the students would appreciate and enjoy seeing these qualities at work as personified by the UC’s scholar-athletes. Many of these students will be attending UC schools and perhaps what they saw on Saturday will steer them to crew or some other sport to complement their academic careers.”
Dreams Come True
The Festival of Children Foundation has joined with Global Genes to expand its Carousel of Possible Dreams program, which centralizes efforts of multiple charities into one fundraising initiative, raising more than $250,000 to fund the dreams or needs of 32 rare-disease organizations. The announcement was made on World Rare Disease Day, Feb. 28.
Since Carousel of Possible Dreams program was established in 2009, it’s raised more than $3.9 million and has funded 184 dreams, including programs for at-risk youth, scholarships for disadvantaged children, creation of safe homes, and funding of medical research.
“At the core of our Carousel of Possible Dreams initiative is the opportunity to amplify fundraising efforts through collaboration and unity,” said Festival of Children Foundation founder and Executive Director Sandy Segerstrom Daniels.
“We are so honored to have partnered with an exceptional organization that continuously gives back to children and families around the country,” said Global Genes Chief Executive Nicole Boice.
Raising the Bar
On March 3, the Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County celebrated its 40th anniversary installation and fundraiser dinner at the Irvine Marriott.
The sold-out event raised $153,000 for Latino law student scholarships.
As part of the anniversary, association President Darrell White, a business trial attorney at the law firm of Weintraub Tobin, honored association founders, Frederick Aguirre, Frances Munoz, Joe Perez Sr., Gregory Munoz and Luis A. Cardenas, all now retired.
The association also recognized attorneys and past association presidents Joe Chairez of Baker Hostetler and Norma Garcia Guillen, founding partner of Garcia Rainey Blank & Bowerbank LLP.
Bits & Pieces
The Pacific Life Foundation presented Human Options, a nonprofit dedicated to breaking the cycle of domestic violence, with a $10,000 grant to support the organization’s core services and programs. … On March 5, Opus Bank and retired professional basketball player Mychal Thompson and the Thompson family announced the launch of the Thompson Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization aimed at helping those in inner cities, including Los Angeles, Oakland and internationally in Mychal Thompson’s hometown of Nassau, Bahamas. … Rasmin Baschishi, previously chief operations officer at Make-A-Wish Los Angeles, was named chief executive of UCP of Orange County in February.
