Fashionable Fall Fundraiser
Harvesters, which was founded in 1992 to raise awareness and funds for Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, hosted its 23rd annual Harvesters Fashion Show & Luncheon Runway Fundraiser on Oct. 7. More than 400 guests attended the event, which was held at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa and sponsored by South Coast Plaza.
The event began with a champagne reception and silent auction. The guests then watched a runway show held at the Samueli Theater featuring highlights from the fall/winter 2015 collections of luxury brands, such as Fendi, Oscar de la Renta, Max Mara, Roberto Cavalli, Ralph Lauren, Salvatore Ferragamo and Versace.
A luncheon followed in the Renée & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.
The fashion show and luncheon raised $675,000, all of which will be donated to Second Harvest to fight hunger in OC. Harvesters’ annual campaigns have generated more than $5.5 million for the nonprofit over the past 23 years.
In Excellent Spirits
The Irvine Public Schools Foundation’s sixth annual Spirit of Excellence Gala and Auction on Oct. 17 at Kia Motors’ headquarters in Irvine raised over $425,000 in net proceeds for Irvine schools.
The event honored alumni of the Irvine Unified School District for their professional achievements.
More than 350 community members, educators, parents and business leaders attended the black-tie gala.
FivePoint Communities was a presenting sponsor for the sixth consecutive year. Other corporate sponsors included Irvine Company, Wells Fargo, Waste Management, Morgan Stanley, Citibank, Lugano Diamonds and Kia Motors.
Honorees included Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP architect Justin Chen, a 2001 Irvine High School graduate; and Tom Dumont, guitarist for Grammy Award-winning band No Doubt and a 1986 Woodbridge High School graduate.
The foundation recognized the University of California-Irvine as a visionary partner in education and also announced the launch of its annual Think Future, Give Now campaign.
Life-Changing Luncheon
Human Options’ fall fundraising luncheon on Oct. 15 netted $190,490, all of which will be used to support the nonprofit’s programs that help abused children and women escape domestic violence and rebuild their lives.
A crowd of 425 came together at the Westin South Coast Plaza Hotel for the annual event.
Karen Rager-Takeda, president and chief executive of Rager Resources, welcomed attendees and shared her story of leaving an abusive marriage and finding the tools at a domestic violence shelter to regain her life.
Best-selling author Rachel Simmons, who co-founded the Girls Leadership Institute, gave the keynote address. She presented ways that girls can develop social-emotional intelligence and assertive communication skills.
Survivors and Supporters Celebration
Western National Property Management, Western National Group, Haskell & White LLP, Idea Hall, PIMCO, Morgan Stanley/The Timpe Group, Rutan & Tucker LLP, Union Bank, Verizon Wireless and other leading Orange County companies were the key sponsors of the Bahama Nights, Laura House’s 2015 charity soiree.
The event, held at the Island Hotel on Oct. 10, drew 350 supporters and raised $400,000 for the nonprofit group’s emergency shelter, community programs and legal advocacy services.
An emotional crowd listened as speaker Nancy Tran recounted the night when an ex-boyfriend doused her in gasoline and lit her body on fire, resulting in emotional and physical scars.
“Our long-term goal is to continue growing as an organization that helps to create a world where people do not suffer from domestic violence,” said Laura Khouri, president of Western National Property Management and a Laura’s House board member.
The event also honored Robin McGraw, founder and chief executive of When Georgia Smiled: The Robin McGraw Revelation Foundation, for her advocacy work; Troy Marston, a volunteer with the Courthouse Advocacy Program, for proving free legal assistance to victims of domestic violence; and Pacific Investment Management Co. for providing funding and volunteer support for programs and services.
Bits & Pieces
The Gross Family Foundation committed an additional $500,000 to Charles R. Drew University’s Mervyn M. Dymally School of Nursing, which increases the Sue and Bill Gross Nursing Endowment to $2 million. … MOMS Orange County, a nonprofit organization serving low-income pregnant women, appointed Dr. Allyson Brooks and Monica Rangel, a financial services professional for New York Life Insurance Co., to its board of directors. … Denise Dunlap-Alpert, vice president of Global Human Resources and Internal Communications for Blizzard Entertainment Inc., joined the Girl Scouts of Orange County board of directors.
