Fundraiser keynote says accentuate the positive

B.W. COOK

It is arguably one of the most significant educational charities in

Orange County.

An auxiliary of the Orangewood Children’s Foundation, 44 Women for

Children is a group of citizens that raises funds that support

emancipated foster children seeking higher education. Most people are

not aware that young men and women raised in foster homes are not

supported by state welfare past age 18.

Founded in 1999 by Susan Samueli of Corona del Mar, 44 Women for

Children gathered last week at the Balboa Bay Club & Resort in

Newport Beach, raising in excess of $180,000 from some 400 guests

intent on making a difference in the lives of young people. The

afternoon luncheon event featured actor Jamie Lee Curtis as the

keynote speaker.

The very glib Curtis charmed the Newport crowd with her candid and

off-the-cuff address, which was more like an intimate conversation

with a ballroom of patrons rather than a speech.

“I’m desperate to find intimacy in my life,” Curtis said. “For me,

intimacy is the chance to be authentic.”

Curtis told the crowd of the highs and lows of her celebrity

upbringing as the daughter of movie stars Tony Curtis and Janet

Leigh. On the one hand, she shared idyllic memories of growing up in

the canyons of West Los Angeles, playing in the open fields and being

on a first name basis with the likes of Kirk Douglas and other movie

stars of her parents’ generation.

She also shared that the innocence of her tomboy youth was quickly

eroded by alcohol and substance abuse in her family.

Her brother died at 20 of a drug overdose, and she spoke of

watching family members lose their battles with the bottle.

Most candidly, she told of her own struggles, saying, “I finally

realized that enough was enough.”

Today, the popular star of such movies as “Freaky Friday,” “True

Lies” and “Trading Places” is the mother of two children -- Annie,

age 18, and Thomas, age 9 -- and the wife of actor and director

Christopher Guest in a marriage that has spanned 20 years.

“I have learned two very important lessons,” Curtis said.

“Whenever I am about to say, ‘I have to do something,’ I change it to

‘I get to do something.’ I get to go to work. I get to take my son to

school.”

Curtis shared with the crowd that the simple replacement of a word

offers a sea change in attitude. She told her audience to try to

replace the word “can’t” with “unwilling.” Instead of saying that one

can’t accomplish some task, one might be unwilling.

“In the past, I have often sought a spiritual path,” Curtis said.

“Then somehow I ended up shopping at Barney’s.”

The audience laughed and understood the message.

She asked the audience two important questions: “‘Have you learned

to live wisely?’ and ‘Do you love well?’ These are the guideposts

upon which to measure success in your life.”

The crowd was very much connected to Curtis, who had come to share

in the purpose of 44 Women for Children.

The successful event was chaired by Maureen Armstrong, with

dedicated support from Kelly Bozza and Ivette Moses.

Dave Ritchie, chairman of the board of the Orangewood Children’s

Foundation, joined Samueli and Madaline Gordon in welcoming the

generous crowd and introducing a very special young lady named Sarah

Bennett, who performed a selection from “Phantom of the Opera.”

However, the most moving element of the luncheon gathering was the

personal appearance of Nicole Demedenko, who told the story of her

childhood struggles in a “digital video story” entitled “Never

Again.” Demedenko and her siblings were rescued by a caring

grandmother from parents who were addicted to drugs and alcohol.

The event was emceed by Vikki Vargas, the Orange County bureau

chief for KNBC-TV, with major sponsorship coming from Stephen Gordon

of Commercial Capital Bank, Stan Hanson and Eve Kornyei, the

Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, Patti and Jim Edwards, retired Gen.

William Lyon, Sandi Jackson, Donna and Ron Phelps, and Stanley Black,

to name only a few.

The Balboa Bay Club Ballroom was transformed into a celestial

wonderland with planets and stars projected onto the walls and

ceiling by Sean Jackson of Shine Lighting. Fiore Florists of Newport

Coast adorned the tables with lush, overflowing bowls of white roses

under-lit with a blue-white light, giving the entire ballroom a

heavenly glow.

Tiffany & Co. of South Coast Plaza, represented by Jeffrey

Bennett, also supported the event by providing crystal trophies of

recognition.

In the crowd were patrons, including Sally Clark, Nina Grover,

Judy Jones, Sonya Kessler, Shirley Pepys, Marcia Rosenberg, Heidi

Shahrestany and Karen Wolf.

For more information on 44 Women for Children and the Orangewood

Children’s Foundation, please go to https://www.44womenfor

children.org.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.