The Crowd: More than 350 guests at gala mark $1.4M raised for City of Hope
City of Hope is in the news benefitting from the seventh annual “Let’s Be Frank About Cancer” gala raising in excess of $1.4 million, which took place earlier this fall in the ballroom of the Balboa Bay Resort, Newport Beach.
The cancer awareness event brought together the VIP crowd of friends and associates of Frank DiBella, who created the annual fundraiser with the specific goal of aiding cancer research at City of Hope.
DiBella’s motivation was born out of his own survival of metastatic bladder cancer diagnosed in 2011. Told by various doctors that he had months to live, DiBella found Dr. Sumanta Pal, an oncologist at City of Hope, and his life was saved.
Since the initial dinner seven-plus years ago, $1,461,300 has been raised and donated to support cancer research overseen by City of Hope oncologist Pal, who also serves as Kidney Cancer Program director.
Marybelle and the late S. Paul Musco were the evening’s Platinum sponsors, along with FivePoint as the event’s Diamond sponsor and the Hardin family as Gold sponsors. Additionally, Frank DiBella, Masimo, the Dirk family, Chapman University, Knobbe Martens, Michael and JoAnn Sweig, Medical Waste Services, and Cheri and Ken Ketner were all Bronze sponsors of the gala.
Among the 350-plus guests were Dr. Hazem Chehabi, founder of Newport Diagnostic Center, Lynn Jochim, president and chief operating officer at FivePoint, Gary Hunt, vice chairman California Strategies LLC, and Steve Jensen, partner, Knobbe Martens, as well as Brett Park of Brightview Design Group and Hensel Phelps. Jann Carl, former “Entertainment Tonight” correspondent and co-host of the breakout reality show “Small Town Big Deal,” served as mistress of ceremonies. Mellisa Neilson of Charity Angeles was the event’s auctioneer.
Big names join Don Baylor 65 Roses Memorial Classic
Winter on the Orange Coast is the envy of golfers nationwide. Blue skies and balmy temps provided the ideal backdrop for the 42nd annual Don Baylor 65 Roses Memorial Classic at Strawberry Farms Golf Club, Irvine.
The outing on the greens was all about finding a cure for the dreaded cystic fibrosis. Funds go to research and care of patients suffering from the progressive, genetic disease that robs its victim of the ability to breathe. Don Baylor’s tournament has raised some $8 million over years to fund that research.
Co-chaired by local sports celebs Doug DeCinces and Bobby Grich, the special day for CF began with exciting experiences including the anticipated Lexus Hole-in-One, with the chance to win a Lexus vehicle courtesy of Newport and Tustin Lexus. The tournament champions were Landwood Title Co., with team members Carter Caskill, Taylor Burkhart, Angel Rios and Will Nord.
Golf was followed by a hosted cocktail party, silent auction, and outdoor dinner with a live concert. Guests were welcomed by Co-Chairs DeCinces and Grich, who each shared their personal commitment to help support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s mission to find a cure.
Guest speaker Luke Oakey Daskas shared the story of a family member and her experience of having a successful double lung transplant that has improved the quality of her life. Amy Williams, daughter of Doug DeCinces, spoke on the active, sport-filled life her 13-year-old son, Beckett, has managed to maintain while living with cystic fibrosis.
The successful evening culminated with guests enjoying the music of “Desperado” as they played their tribute to the Eagles under the stars. To learn more about the Don Baylor 65 Roses Memorial Classic, please write to schavez@cff.org or call (714) 938-1393.
Wine events benefits muscular dystrophy research
A major wine event unfolded at the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort benefitting research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The Newport Beach based nonprofit CureDuchenne sponsored the gathering featuring 45 of Napa’s finest wineries providing the crowd with a “grand tasting.” Specialty wines were combined with a five-star chef curated a multicourse dinner and auction raising some $1.5 million. This seventh annual gathering raised the total donated over time to more than $7.5 million.
Hosted by Vintner Chair Bryant Estate, the evening attracted more than 450 patrons. “We are so thrilled with the outcome of this year’s Napa in Newport gala, connecting passion and purpose to help improve the lives of everyone affected by Duchenne and accelerate a cure for my son and all the individuals living with Duchenne around the world,” said CureDuchenne chief executive Debra Miller.
“Napa in Newport was such a wonderful opportunity for the Napa Valley community to come together and support an important cause,” said Bettina Bryant, representing Vintner Chair Bryant Estate. “It was an absolute privilege to serve as the vintner chair this year to raise awareness for this devastating disease and help impact the lives of individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.”
Founded in Newport Beach by parents of a son living with Duchenne, CureDuchenne employs an innovative venture philanthropy model to fund groundbreaking research for a cure and support programs for those living with the disease, while advocating for early diagnosis and better access to treatments. For more information, please visit cureduchenne.org.
Fun Zone festival draws crowd
In November, some 300 fun-seekers swarmed the Newport Peninsula’s Fun Zone Entertainment Plaza as the Balboa Island Museum, Newport Beach hosted its Fun Zone Festival, hosted by the generous Pyle family for a day of liberating childhood joy.
Museum board member Linda Young enlisted her company, OC Productions, to produce the event on behalf of the Balboa Museum’s fall/winter fundraising campaign. More than $125,000 was raised.
Board member and past president Shirley Pepys commented, “We couldn’t have done this without the support of our staff, vendors, donors, members and guests.” Spotted in the crowd were Julia Argyros in great spirits with close pal Wendy Hales, Phil Barrett, Mitzie Barrett, Sandy Rainer, Paula Castanon, Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, Mary Hardesty and John Scudder. Also front and center for the Fun Zone fun were Burton and Linda Young, Ellen Goodman, and sponsor family members Mary Lynn Pyle, Annie Pyle, Lynn Pyle and Bobby Gorby.
Timing is everything. In the changing world of retail, brick-and-mortar stores have adapted to compete with juggernaut online behemoths. Retail sales this holiday season are more closely spread between the in-person and e-commerce. Internet buying is convenient, yet the personal shopping experience still matters greatly. Touching, feeling, comparing and trying on items in store are essential to the overall shopping experience for many. And the experience of dealing with a professional stylist or salesperson in-store can make a big difference.
To that end, the luxury retail house of Neiman Marcus, Fashion Island launched a hybrid shopping platform this month touted by Adriana Sender, brand experience manager, which combines online expert convenience with the in-store experience. “Digital Style Lab,” which debuted Dec. 1, provides shoppers with the ability to connect with a stylist online while in-store in a private contemporary suite with the actual fashion on hand for personal review and inspection. Leyla Vokhshoori, vice president and general manager commented, “We are delighted to roll out our new Digital Style Labs that provide our digital client advisors with dedicated spaces to produce engaging contents and enhance their connection with customers whenever, wherever, and however they prefer.”
As the ultimate gifting destination, and as part of its “Celebrate Big, Love Even Bigger” campaign, the luxury retailer encourages customers to celebrate big, smile big, give big and love even bigger all season long. Customers can book a virtual appointment with a digital client advisor and follow them on their social media channels to access the expertly crafted content and personalized curations available through the Digital Style Labs.
Customers who do not already have a digital client advisor can easily be matched with one through the company’s website at neimanmarcus.com.
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