The Crowd: A memorable party at The Duke’s old home
They did it again.
The stylish Beverly and Bob Cohen opened their art nouveau-inspired Bayshores estate last week on behalf of Childhelp donors and underwriters supporting the Childhelp 2012 Spring Fashion Luncheon and fundraiser.
Dressed in a chic black cocktail frock, the petite Beverly, elevated by her five-inch patent leather heels, greeted the arriving crush with warm hugs and kisses at the main entrance of her home, once the property of Newport Beach resident and movie star legend John Wayne.
“I’ve been supporting the work of Childhelp coming to the aid of abused and abandoned children for 30 years. I have no intention of stopping now,” shared Beverly, who joined major Childhelp donors Patti Edwards, Diana Miner, Nancy Whitlock and O.C. Childhelp chapter President Pam Pharris in welcoming the crowd to the pre-fashion show cocktail and dinner celebration.
In Newport Beach, Beverly and Bob set the bar at the highest level for their hospitality. Few, if any, hosts go to the extreme trouble of managing every detail when providing an event that is both exquisitely produced and sumptuously catered.
Of course, it does help to have a professional staff. The Cohens’ own the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. The crowd of donors was simply delighted by the overflowing dessert bar ladened with every imaginable chocolate delicacy, food stations offering seafood specialties — such as octopus and a Mexican-themed taco bar with fillings from the expected to the exotic — and a carving station serving fresh chef-sliced turkey accompanied by specialty cheeses and baked breads.
Spotted in the grand salon by the fireplace were Lido Isle’s Cathy and Wayne Heck, Maralou and Jerry Harrington, Olivia and Howard Abel, Pam Selber, Judy Kolar, Craig Brown, Jacquie Casey and Mary Allen Dexter. Also supporting Childhelp were Shan Womack, Dale San Fillipo, Katherine Meredith and Nancy Cardin.
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‘Top of the Class’
On March 28, the Trojan League of Orange County will present “Top of the Class,” a benefit bash to raise scholarships for Orange County students enrolled in the USC Rossier School of Education.
The evening dinner party will unfold at The Turnip Rose in Costa Mesa’s Grand Newport Plaza, offering a light supper, no-host bar and auction. Tickets are priced at $100 per person and more for those wishing to become a patron sponsor.
For more information or to buy tickets go to alumni.usc.edu.
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Tea by the sea
The Lido Isle Community Assn. Clubhouse will be the setting for the 2012 “Patroness Tea By The Sea” for the Adoption Guild of Southern Orange County. The 51st annual event is set for April 19 with doors opening at 11 am. The tea will feature specialty boutiques and a silent auction.
Co-chaired by Mary Eadington and Jeanette Perry, the event will be presided over by Adoption Guild president Mindy Pfenning. Among the local gals supporting the cause are Carol Adams, Mary Fazio, Christy Fishbeck, Pam Fossler, Susan Kirkland, Liz Maxson, Britt Meyer, Susan Knox, Pam Selber, Karen Weinberg and Marilyn Wilson, to name only a handful.
The patroness tea is a showcase event for the work of Holy Family Services Adoption and Foster Care agency in Orange County. Over some five decades, the agency has created 6,100 families in the region through adoption. In addition to infant and toddler adoption, Holy Family Services also places older children who are the victims of neglect and abuse.
Tickets to the tea are priced at $65 to $250 for donors. Please call co-chairs Mary Eadington at (949) 675-9115, or Jeanette Perry at (949) 481-0649 for reservations and information.
THE CROWD runs Thursdays and Saturdays. B.W. Cook is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.
