For a Good Cause -- Sharon Esterley

Story by Paul Clinton

Volunteering comes so naturally to Sharon Esterley, she views it as a

social event.

That’s not to say that Esterley, who has given her time and energy to

more than 30 Orange County nonprofit organizations, doesn’t take the work

seriously. She has devoted her life to it.

But a key component for her is quality time spent with quality people.

She has one other criteria for her volunteer activities.

“It has to be a good cause that touches me in some way,” Esterley

said. “Most of the people [I volunteers with] aren’t into being seen.

They’re just really into doing good.”

For much of her life, Esterley was a professional events planner.

Esterley, who says she’s in her 50s, was hired in 1990 by the

construction firm that built the Thomas L. Riley terminal at John Wayne

Airport.

To crack the seal right, Esterley and her staff put together a grand

opening black-tie gala that was attended by about 5,000 people.

Nowadays, Esterley’s annual event is the Cattle Baron’s Ball, a

fund-raiser for the Orange County chapter of the American Cancer Society.

The event is typically held at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort in

October.

Last year, about 900 people attended, a number affected by the wake of

the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The event has raised $1.3 million over the past three years, Esterley said.

A product of Newport Beach, Esterley has lived in the city off and on

since her mother bought a home in 1967. She now lives in Eastbluff.

The list of charities Esterley has donated her time to is stunning --

the American Heart Assn., the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, the American

Red Cross, Race for the Cure, United Way of Orange County and the Orange

County Child Abuse Council.

And there are many more.

Esterley said she caught the volunteering bug while on a trip to

Paris, shortly after graduating from UC Berkeley.

She began to buzz around the city with a band of jugglers and other

artists, holding out hats for change.

“So that’s how I started as a fund-raiser,” Esterley said.