THE CROWD:

An important gathering took place last week in an elegant Newport Coast mansion. A unique contrast of life. On the one hand an effort to save the planet’s ocean life and on the other a fabulous party with wonderful food, amazing music and a crowd of exceptionally beautiful people.

Oceana, a worldwide organization dedicated to protecting the oceans, held an evening of appreciation for donors and supporters who helped raise nearly $1 million at an inaugural summer event billed as “Sea Change.” William and Donya Dobkin welcomed the crowd for a mid-week soiree featuring the very talented Jeff Paris Band down from Los Angeles setting a high-energy beat and sophisticated tone to the affair.

Guy Genis, a Los Angeles-based event planner, handled all the details working with the hosts and generous underwriter Lugano Diamonds, making the evening a very chic event for a most worthy cause. Lugano purveyors Idit and Moti Ferder were front and center with their models standing on 4-foot-tall lit cubes showing off world-class gems. The classically beautiful Gail Bronson Boyd joined Stuart Winston from Lugano explaining the latest insider information on the arena of hard assets — as in diamonds.

Spotted in the crowd were Oceana supporters including Beto Bedolf and Nancy and LD Christiano.

Nancy has worked as a volunteer and is now development manager for the cause. Vicki and Jeff Coufos of Newport Coast joined Jerry and Maralou Harrington, Gary and Carol Le Grand, Bill Parker, Ed and Lisa Vogel, George Wall, Marcy Weinstein, David and Paula Wilhelm, and Sea Change champion co-chairwomen Valarie Whiting and Julie Hill at the successful event.

Valarie is a member of the board of Oceana, and she shared with the crowd that the 2009 Sea Change event is well underway and will once again unfold in the summer at the Cahill estate in Laguna Beach.

A major celebrity lineup of guests is once again expected.

In the midst of the glamour, a very serious address by Andy Sharpless, chief executive of Oceana, focused the crowd on the importance of ocean environmentalism.

Among other facts concerning problems with the ecological balance of our seas, Sharpless shared a chilling story about farm raised salmon in South America and the induction of potentially toxic antibiotics into their systems to ward off disease caused by overcrowding. These imported fish are very much a part of the American diet.

To learn more about Oceana and its local fundraising arm Sea Change, e-mail nchristiano@oceana.org.

It was a big night for parents and friends of Mariners School, Newport Beach.

A recent Saturday evening party raised an impressive $95,000 for a multitude of needs at the local elementary campus.

Chaired by Sharon Zablan and Laura Cox the evening was a smash success, heralded as one of the most “fun” school fundraisers of the season. Underwriting chairwomen Meredith Cagle and Diana Wells deserve much credit for their exhaustive effort. Held at the O.C. Fairgrounds, turned into a massive ’70s disco, the crowd danced, dined and bid on auction items into the night.

Spotted in the crowd were Carrie and Rob Young, Molly and John Calder, Jason and Meredith Cagle, Rob and Sandy Rettig, Nanci and Chris Terry and Jennifer and Mark Ensminger. Also spotted enjoying classic ’70s Harvey Wallbangers and hors d’oeuvres of Cheez Wiz and crackers were Jennifer and Tom Blanchfield, Cheryl and Steve Hall, Mesha and Rendell Swart and Jennifer and Todd Woodward, to name only a few.

The fifth annual “Home For The Holidays” tour debuts on Lido Isle on Thursday. A super dedicated team led by the talented and lovely Karen Littlefair with able assistance from the equally amazing Linda Giannini, Christine Overstreet, Ida Middlesworth, Corky Winters, Margaret Larkin and a deserving group of others not mentioned will produce a spectacular holiday home tour event with proceeds benefiting The Hoag Hospital Breast Cancer Center Video Education Program. Many of the women involved are cancer survivors, which makes this event so much more important than simply a festive home tour.

Organizers hope to raise at least $10,000, which will underwrite the cost of a video designed to answer questions and quell fears of women at their initial diagnosis of breast cancer. The tour runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and includes a box lunch at The Lido Isle Clubhouse. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the clubhouse door. For more information, call (949) 673-6170.

THE CROWD runs Thursdays and Saturdays.