Leasing ‘Lost Vegas’

Suzie Harrison

A group of Laguna residents has been making a splash by helping

people with HIV and AIDS for almost two decades through the AIDS

Services Foundation Orange County.

The foundation has grown to be the largest and most comprehensive

nonprofit AIDS-service organization in the county. Over the years, it

has raised millions of dollars to facilitate those affected by HIV

and AIDS through donations and fundraisers.

One such benefit is its fall fundraiser, “World’s Fair Lost

Vegas,” set for Sept. 25 on the Festival of Arts grounds.

The festival grounds will be transformed into Las Vegas by the sea

with gaming favorites blackjack, poker, craps and roulette. The

much-anticipated highlight of the evening is the splashy musical

spoof “Lost Vegas.”

The event is not an ordinary fundraiser -- it’s steeped in

tradition going back to the organization’s roots in the mid-1980s

when the first fundraiser, “Big Splash,” was born in founders Ken

Jillson and Al Roberts’ backyard.

Jillson is still on the board of the foundation and is the event’s

director, producer and person of many hats. Co-founder Roberts is the

board president of the foundation.

“It started in 1985 in the late summer. There were no services

provided for HIV and AIDS in Orange County,” Jillson said.

Determined at that time to do something about the crisis, AIDS

Services Foundation was established to provide direct services for

men and women in Orange County who were affected by HIV and AIDS,

Jillson said.

“In order to do that, we needed seed money,” Jillson said. “We

needed to do a fundraiser.”

The pair did it on a shoestring budget without all the bells and

whistles, costumes, elaborate sets and props they have now.

Hoping to raise $25,000, they had created a paper thermometer to

chart the progress. When they topped out at $33,000, their biggest

problem was that the thermometer didn’t go that high, Jillson said.

It was wildly popular and grew with great momentum every year

through people’s generous contributions of time and money.

Laguna resident Carol Robinson got involved in the fundraising

event 14 years ago.

“I’ve been involved in many ‘Splashes,’” Robinson said. “The whole

group has turned into a circle of friends. I met Ken Jillson in a tap

dancing class, and he decided to put in a tap number and asked me to

do it way back in the beginning, the second or third year.

“It’s a great group. It’s for all services for people in Orange

County with AIDS. I got to know a lot of people that use those

services and have developed some really close friendships.”

AIDS Services Foundation had an operating budget of $90,000 in its

inaugural year. Thanks to Pacific Life’s Ed Haskell, the company

became the first corporate donor.

“Pacific Life donated $10,000, which was extraordinary,” Jillson

said. “It lent a lot of credibility to it. That launched it next

year.”

The first show wasn’t very lengthy. They reasoned that if they put

on a longer show then they could make more money. It proved true.

“Splash” grew to 20 minutes the second year and they raised

$53,000. The following year’s 30 minute show garnered $95,000.

“A little longer and [it raised] $142,000 -- it grew as we went

along to the final ‘Splash’ 2000 in our backyard [which raised]

$850,000,” Jillson said.

Major donors were the key to success. A group of 10 paid $25,000

and would be seated in a box in front with their own private

attendant.

“At that point, we were doing it three nights and each night the

major donors [contributed] $25,000, that’s why people came back,

[they knew] 100% of the proceeds went to [AIDS Services Foundation],”

Jillson said. “We got everything donated.”

Over the years, they got help from celebrities including Gregory

Peck, Lauren Bacall, Kirk Douglas, Carrie Fisher, Jack Lemmon,

Phyllis Diller, Whoopi Goldberg, Bea Arthur and Dolly Parton.

“They donated their time -- I would sit with them in their office

or home, write the script and make a track and assemble the whole

show,” Jillson said. “These people couldn’t be nicer.”

They decided to end the original “Splash” on a high note in 2000.

In 2001 and 2002, they did a World’s Fair at the Orange County

Fairgrounds as their fundraiser.

“It didn’t have the intimacy and charisma of ‘Splash,’ so we

decided to reinvent it and bring it back to Laguna,” Jillson said.

The rebirth came last year with the 2003 “World’s Fair New York”

at the Festival of Arts grounds. It was a big success raising

$420,000 with 800 guests.

“But we didn’t have swimming, this year we thought ‘Lost Vegas’

would be a splashy musical with the swimming pool back into the

element,” Jillson said.

The show starts off where last year’s spoof of “The Producers”

ended with video clips from last year tying it in to this year’s

opening scene.

All these years they have done it on a shoestring budget with

every penny earned going to help HIV and AIDS related services.

“One of the key elements unfortunately is that the government

keeps decreasing funding for HIV/AIDS,” Jillson said. “It’s important

for people to realize the HIV [rate of infection] keeps going up, so

our case load is [up to] $1,500 clients.”

“World’s Fair Lost Vegas” starts with a cocktail reception at 6:30

p.m. and the buffet dinner starts at 8 p.m. donated by restaurant

Sundried Tomato. At 9 p.m., the program starts with an auction and

the musical show.

General admission is $250 with major donor tickets ranging from

$1,200 to $25,000. For tickets or information, call (949) 809-8766 or

(949) 580-2021 or online got to https://www.ocasf.org.