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The Crowd: Raising funds like the Dickens

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The generous Mart and Margie Hubbard once again invited dedicated donors supporting the Pacific Chorale to a midweek dinner at Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach.

The Oct. 16 gathering raised an impressive $120,000 in underwriting to cover the cost of producing the Chorale’s Dickens Feast, which will take place Dec. 22 with a concert and dinner at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and the Westin South Coast Plaza.

Fifty-five guests arrived at Big Canyon greeted by the Hubbards and the evening’s co-chair, Jan Landstrom. The crowd was treated to cocktails on the Big Canyon terrace, followed by a wonderful dinner buffet in the dining room interspersed with entertainment provided by Pacific Chorale singers Ricky McKillips and Denean Dyson. The talented pair were accompanied by pianist and arranger David Clemensen.

In the holiday spirit, Landstrom created the illusion of an early Christmas, complete with a lighted tree and dinner place settings adorned with glittering red bags of chocolate stars wrapped in silver foil. PBS SoCal’s Maria Hall-Brown joined fellow anchor Ed Arnold in serving as emcees for the evening.

In the crowd were John Alexander, artistic director of the Pacific Chorale, Elizabeth Pearson, president of the Pacific Chorale, Warren Coy, chairman of the board of the Pacific Chorale, and Tom and Vina Williams Slattery, co-chairs of the upcoming Dickens Feast. Also front and center were Mary and Phil Lyons, Hans and Valerie Imhof, John and Marcia Cashion, Bob and Kimberly Bernatz, Benton and Wanlyn Bejack, Christopher Town and Robert Celio.

For reservations and information for the Dickens Feast/’Tis the Season concert, please call (714) 662-2345.

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Mothers, daughters support National Charity League

The Newport Beach Civic Center hosted members of the Newport Chapter of the National Charity League, Inc. for the 2013 Philanthropy Fair on Oct. 17.

The evening event brought together 175 mothers and more than 200 daughters who joined forces to support more than 20 local philanthropies in Orange County. Among the beneficiaries were Serving People In Need (SPIN), Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter, Human Options and the Second Harvest Food Bank.

Nicole Suydam of the Second Harvest Food Bank served as the evening’s keynote speaker. Part of the evening’s activities included mothers and daughters working together to create care packages featuring blankets, hygiene kits and essentials for the needy in the community. They also packaged Halloween costumes for children living in Orange County shelters.

On Nov. 3, the Irvine Chapter of National Charity League, Inc. will present a fall fashion show at 11 a.m. at the Westin South Coast Plaza. The theme of the Sunday fashion event is “007 Bond…James Bond.”

The party will begin with a champagne reception with both silent and live auctions followed by a runway fashion show featuring NCL Jrs., the class of 2015 modeling fashions from Macy’s at Fashion Island. Proceeds from the $75-per-person ticket will benefit Meals on Wheels and High Hopes Head Injury Program. For last-minute reservations, please contact Dr. Elsa Tekle at eltekle@yahoo.com.

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UCI medals awarded

More than 600 guests turned out Oct. 5 for the 2013 UCI Medal Awards. In excess of $1 million was raised, which will provide funding for students through the UCI Chancellor’s Fund for Scholarships and Fellowships.

The annual UCI Medal honors citizens in the community whose philanthropy has impacted both the university and the world beyond. The 2013 honorees were Charles Martin, Cheryll and Richard Ruszat and Ngugi wa Thiong’o. UCI Chancellor Michael Drake welcomed the honorees and the guests, thanking the crowd for their generous contributions. Drake said, “The people we honor tonight are shaping a bright future for our community, our nation and world.”

Hosted by the UC Irvine Foundation, the evening was co-chaired by Dina and Emile Haddad. Appropriately the theme of the medal event was “Shaping The Future,” which was inspired by the foundation’s $1-billion comprehensive fundraising campaign.

Held at UCI’s Bren Events Center, the evening featured a formal dinner and entertainment by students from the Claire Trevor School of the Arts.

THE CROWD runs Fridays. B.W. Cook is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.

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