Locals reach out and dine someone

B.W. COOK

The Pacific Chorale celebrated “A Holiday Feast” followed by its

popular concert, “‘Tis The Season,” performed in conjunction with the

Pacific Symphony Orchestra at the Orange County Performing Arts

Center.

The chorale ended the holiday season with a major gala attracting

a large cross section of community support and raising significant

funds for the organization. Local support came from Mike and Karen

Carroll, Shanda and Eddie Beltran, Kathleen Stumme, Patricia Benton

Johnson and Vina Williams.

More than 250 guests turned out for “A Chocolate Affair,” raising

$30,000 for the nonprofit Young Professionals Against Cancer. The

Newport Dunes Resort was the site of the event sponsored and

underwritten by Fletcher Jones Motorcars. As music from a group known

as the Tijuana Dogs brought patrons to the dance floor, casino

tables, martini bars and a massive silent auction also entertained

the crowd. The nonprofit is led by Sandy Shirgaokar, who serves as

president of the organization of local young people helping to battle

cancer in the Orange County community.

The John and Donna Crean “Reach Out Awards” exceeded all

expectations, bringing in more than $130,000 for the YMCA of Orange

County, with funds earmarked for the community service branch. The

Sutton Place Hotel in Newport Beach attracted more than 200 local

guests at a dinner co-chaired by Darby Manclark and Peggy Goldwater

Clay. The master of ceremonies for the event was television anchor Ed

Arnold. The evening was dedicated to Orange County Sheriff Mike

Carona.

Pretend City, the Children’s Museum of Orange County, is close to

groundbreaking thanks to successful fundraising efforts in 2003. Fall

and winter fundraising organized by the ladies of “City 60,” a

support wing of the children’s museum, brought in significant dollars

from multiple events, culminating with a major benefit held at the

Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach. The evening was chaired by Halle

Farokhi, with support from a volunteer committee led by City 60

president Melissa Cavanaugh. The theme of the gala was a homecoming

dance taking guests back to their high school prom days.

The ladies of Camelot, that is the Camelot chapter of the guilds

of the Orange County Performing Arts Center, held a holiday

progressive fundraising dinner on the Newport bay to benefit the

center. The evening began with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at the

Harbor Island Drive home of Joan Williams. The next stop was dinner

at Bobbi Stahl’s wonderful Newport residence. Local celeb Jim Roberts

entertained the crowd, which included Camelot’s chair Janie Kingsley,

Jeanne Schmid, Joan Sullivan, Kay Fukunaga, Betty DeFreece, Corinne

Black, Rita Gunkel and Dotti Stillwell, founding chair of the Camelot

chapter.

The Ocean Institute will present “Jazz in January” on Jan. 30 at

the institute’s headquarters in Dana Point. Legendary jazz artist

David Benoit will entertain the local crowd over a four-course

gourmet dinner prepared and provided by some of the finest chefs in

Orange County, including James Boyce of the Montage, Christian

Rassinoux of the Ritz Carlton, Greg Ische of the Marriott Laguna

Cliffs, and Azmin Ghahreman of the St. Regis Monarch Beach.

Tim McMahon will chair the dinner with support from Mike Metz,

Lisa Metz, Sean Sweeney, Ryan Hardin, Jeff Gehl, and Sally Coombe.

Reservations are limited to the first 180 tickets sold with seats

available at $250 per person. Call (949) 496-2274, ext. 412 for more

information.

The Newport-Mesa community lost a dear friend this week. Fran

Mulvania died of an apparent heart attack in her Corona del Mar home.

Mulvania, who had only recently become a grandmother, served the

community as both a journalist and a dedicated volunteer and

organizer helping to raise funds for numerous causes, mostly in

support of children’s needs and health issues. A feature columnist

for Newport Beach [714] magazine, the Bay Window magazine, Newport

News and many other publications, Mulvania was admired for her

dedication to improving life in the community and for her boundless

positive attitude and perspective. She was a classy woman who always

put her best foot forward for others, and both family and friends

will miss her.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.