Not as easy as before

It’s kind of like pulling teeth. And not the kind you glue in with

some Poly-Fix-It, or whatever. Raising money for a seniors is like

pulling real, rooted, non-denture teeth.

Costa Mesa Senior Center executive director Aviva Goelman was

reminded of that Thursday morning at a very, uh, cozy fund-raising

breakfast.

“It was nice and intimate,” Goelman said later that afternoon.

“You know, we are going to have to work hard. We are going to have to

work really hard to make people realize the seniors need help.”

In year’s past, the breakfast was a big affair, complete with

larger than life checks, guest speakers and more food than you’d know

what to do with -- many guests took home leftovers.

Dozens of board members, city officials, politicians and seniors

crammed into a small room for an awards ceremony to thank Sandy

Daniels, representing the Segerstrom family, and the Southern

California Auto Club for very generous donations of $10,000 and

$5,000, respectively.

Thursday, considerably less people gathered in a much larger room

for a very short but sincere presentation. The small showing at the

breakfast really did make for an intimate setting, as the jokes

flowed easily.

“Two cannibals are eating a clown,” Daniels said at the podium,

“and one said to the other, ‘Does this taste funny to you?’”

She’s here all weeks folks. Daniels also presented the center a

check from the family for $10,000, same as last year. A

representative from the Auto Club was also there, same as last year,

but this year something was missing.

DelHeintz, emcee and president of the Senior Center board of

directors, was also in a joking mood.

“Anyone else have a check for us,” he said playfully.

Goelman said she understands. She knows everyone is under the

financial gun. But when people think about charity, they often think

of youngsters, not elders.

“It is getting harder and harder with the seniors,” Goelman said.

“I just don’t know. I’m going to start having to knock on doors.”

Not only has Goelman encountered hurdles in getting private

donations, recently it looked as if public money might be in

jeopardy. In April when the Costa Mesa City Council was deliberating

which nonprofit organizations would get funding in the form of

Community Block Development Block Grant -- money essentially handed

down from the feds to help the community.

A few days before the vote, Councilman Allan Mansoor asked the

applying agencies submit the salaries of each executive director. A

request that did not go over well with most of the 18 applicants,

including Senior Center officials. Most refused to divulge the

information, saying it was irrelevant to the type of funding they

were asking for, which went toward programs, etc., not salaries.

The board of the Costa Mesa Senior Center voted to refuse the

information.

In the end, it didn’t hurt their bottom line and the center

received its cut of the federal pie. Mansoor actually opposed the

final vote because the city did not give enough to the seniors.

With cardiac arrest barely avoided in April and a poor showing at

this month’s breakfast, Goelman is looking to the summer to bring in

the second half of the center’s $100,000 fund-raising goal.

“You know me,” Goelman said. “I don’t give up. We can’t take away

from the seniors what they need.”

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and

covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or

by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.