The Crowd: Newport Beach’s social calendar fills up with events geared to help others
The fall social calendar in Newport serves the community with style and substance. Major events entertain, inspire and benefit local causes uplifting the lives of many deserving a leg up.
On Saturday Oct. 19, the 2nd annual Newport Beach Volleyball Invitational welcomes fans, free of charge, to Blackie’s Beach at the Newport Pier for what promises to be stellar competition. And the best part is that this four-man volleyball invitational will give a leg up to the Orange County Youth Sports Foundation, a non-profit supported by local businesses, leaders and professionals assisting youths achieve their goals through education and athletics.
Many of the best athletes from the sport of volleyball including 20 Olympians, AVP superstars, and Hall of Famers will be on the sand. Standouts include Taylor Crabb, Taylor Sander, Kelly Cheng, Sara Hughes and Jake Gibb. Also playing will be Sean Rosenthal, Brandie Wilkerson and Phil Daulhausser.
Making this event open to the public are generous sponsor/donors Kevin Martin of Eagle Four Partners and Mario Marovic, owner of the Lounge Group of restaurants and pubs, along with AVP Hall of Famer Steve Obradovich. Additional support from many local Newport establishments in conjunction with efforts by Visit Newport Beach, will make the day in the sand a success. An after party at Stag Bar promises to draw the crowd post competition.
To learn more visit NBVolleyball.com
Literacy for children fundraiser
Newport Beach Country Club recently provided the magical early fall setting in its lush garden for the annual production of SAVOR 2024. A Napa-inspired evening under stars created by the dynamic Sue Grant attracted some 200 guests wearing their linen best attire. They enjoyed a lavish party that began with cocktails and exotic cars, followed by a dinner setting spread on long rustic wooden tables festooned with wildflowers and elaborate tableware under twinkling white lights. All of the charm was designed to bring attention to a cause close to the heart of founder Grant, the importance of literacy for children.
Her massive yearlong effort, the Literacy Project, was founded in 2009 and celebrated its 15th anniversary with news that some 11,000 students from low-income families across six states have been provided with comprehensive reading programs advocating literacy this year. To date, the Literacy Project has secured $5.1 million in funding, serving all students and their families at no cost. Statistics indicate that the 30-hour program offered has increased overall reading skills in youth from between 76% to 129%; some 49,014 families have been provided with reading materials and guided instruction.
SAVOR 2024 honored state Sen. Bob Archuleta, 30th District, and welcomed special guests Barclay Butera, Cindy Culpepper, Glenn Stearns, Anne and John Wortmann. Amy Cardiff was named “Dream Maker of the Year.” Also recognized were Gina Jaha, Georgeana Ireland, Nick Clemence and title sponsors Daniel Hales and the Plye family.
To learn more visit literacyproject.org.
Cowboy Carnival nears
Shirley Pepys, founder and chief executive of the wonderful family-oriented Balboa Island Museum, which archives the broad history of Orange County, invites the public to celebrate its annual party on Oct. 18, at the Fun Zone on Balboa Peninsula. Billed as “Cowboy Carnival,” museum executive director Tiffany Pepys Hoey has pulled out all stops delivering the best boot-stomping western night on the Pacific Rim. (Full disclosure: I am one of the sponsors of this event.)
Greet the horse at the entrance to a Wild West night created by Linda Young and her talented team from O.C. Elite Productions. The best barbecue on the coast by the Naples Rib Co. will come with line dancing, carnival auction games, a Western-style bar and cowboy band to keep everyone on their feet. Balboa Island Museum, a 501-c non-profit is supported by a volunteer board of directors led by John Connors with enthusiastic members.
This event is for guests 21 and above. Tickets are $200. Proceeds will support the annual programs, exhibits, and events provided by Balboa Island Museum all year long at no charge to the public.
Go to BIMCowboyCarnival.org to reserve your spot. And, think about joining the museum family. Annual memberships are just $50!
SPIN to host donor event at Red Barn
The following Friday evening, Oct. 25, Costa Mesa-based Serving People In Need (SPIN) welcomes talented country artist and composer Steven Cade fronting its 2024 annual donor event to be held at the Red Barn, Strawberry Farms, Irvine.
Cade will receive the Jean Wegener Humanitarian Award named for the late Jean Wegener who led SPIN for more than 30 years, placing families with children in Orange County into permanent housing. Nashville based Cade blends his entertainment career with humanitarian purpose. He calls his outreach, Giving Guitars. Simply, Cade donates a guitar to a young person in order to foster a personal connection to music, but more to inspire a gift of perhaps discovering a life-long passion though that instrument.
SPIN guests will be welcomed by the smart and funny Chef Jamie Gwen, television and radio host and noted graduate of the Culinary Institute of America along with Le Corden Bleu. She will host the evening and raise funds for SPIN in the live auction.
SPIN board members and event chair Mary Lou Shattuck and committee say that as guests arrive, cocktails will be served and be given a silent auction preview, followed by dinner and the heartfelt program featuring Cade and band. Country dancing and dessert tops the evening in the barn.
Made possible by the generous contributions of dedicated SPIN advocates led by chairman Curtis L. Scheetz joined by board members Katie Domogala, Rachel Owens, Al DeGrassi, and directors Richard Crawford, Maureen Flannagan, Michael Gilmore, Charlie Granville, Veronica Lopez and Gazal Pour-Moezzi, the annual event helps fund SPIN housing programs for 2025.
For ticket and information, visit spinoc.org.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.
