The Crowd -- B.W. Cook

The charity balls of winter are giving way to the golf tournaments and

fund-raisers of summer. The 20th annual Celebrity Golf Classic benefiting

the Orange County Chapter of Childhelp USA took over the greens of

Pelican Hill Golf Club in Newport Coast, raising an estimated $145,000

for the children’s charity.

The celebrity golf event was hosted by former all-pro offensive center

of the Los Angeles Rams Rich Saul, whose wife, Eileen, has been a

longtime advocate of Childhelp USA in Orange County. Saul was joined by

fellow golf enthusiasts Medhi Eftekari and Jim Edwards, both of Newport

Beach, serving as co-chairmen of the event.

As is often the case in charity affairs, the ladies do most of the

work. Debra Violette and Patti Edwards served as the golf event

co-chairwomen, doing the organizing, planning and helping to raise more

than $100,000 of the $145,000 raised from foursome and corporate sponsor

fees, ranging from $500 per golfer to more than $10,000 from generous

private and public sponsors. Additional funds raised came from the unique

and elaborate silent and live auctions, which included many one-of-a-kind

sports and travel items.

Working with the chairmen and chairwomen on this successful day of

golf were a large contingent of Childhelp USA volunteers, including Nancy

Whitlock, Pam Butler, Kim Doud, Julie Whittington, Christine Bren, Jana

Shuler, Tina Kreditor, Cleo Bluth and Nancy Cardin.

The golf tournament was organized in a “shotgun” style and, as in

years past, attracted a number of celebrities from both the sports and

entertainment fields. Some of the generous participants included baseball

star Greg Harris, pro football Hall of Fame star Tom Mack, Olympic skater

Todd Sand, comic Wil Shriner, Olympic volleyball gold medalist Dain

Blanton, Mighty Ducks coach Guy Charron and co-star of the television

series “JAG,” Sasha Mitchell.

The all-day event had lots of surprises along the way, including three

gambling holes, a longest drive hole for men and women, and two

hole-in-one contests offering a 2002 Mercedes-Benz C230 from Fletcher

Jones Motorcars and a 2002 Toyota Camry from South Bay Toyota. It ended

in a cocktail reception at the Club House at sunset, bringing together

players and sponsors for a bit of golf bragging before dinner, the

auction and the awards. Among the generous corporate sponsors were

Coca-Cola, American Title, Brakke/Schafnitz Insurance, A-Med Health Care,

Ganahl Lumber, Majestic Realty, Oaktree Capitol Management and Paramount

Pictures.

Actor Ron Masak, who played the sheriff on “Murder, She Wrote,” served

as the live auctioneer, bringing in an impressive five-figure sum to add

to the Childhelp tally. Masak also serves as an international ambassador

for the cause and has been supporting Childhelp for many years.

Childhelp USA, founded in 1959 by Sara O’Meara and Yvonne Fedderson,

is a national nonprofit children’s organization dedicated to the

treatment, prevention and research of child abuse and neglect. The Orange

County Chapter of Childhelp, with primary support coming from the

Newport-Mesa community, has become one of the most significant donor

pools in the Childhelp family.

Childhelp organizers report, according to 2001 fiscal figures, that 87

cents of every dollar spent goes to support the programs benefiting

abused and neglected children. In Southern California, the primary

Childhelp facility is in Beaumont, in Riverside County.

Others in support of the golf tournament and the cause include Gisela

Doniguian, Leah Carroll, Cathi Caporaso, Katherine Meredith, Pam Arnett,

Susie Whitlock and corporate sponsors Warner Brothers Pictures, Universal

Studios, Wells Fargo Bank, Bryan Cave LLP, Windsor Capital LLC, and the

Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.