The Crowd: Childhelp is there to aid the toughest of cases
Sustaining a nonprofit organization year after year is a challenge. The cause may garner attention one season and be forgotten the next. So the big question is how do advocates carry the torch for years, even decades?
The answer is simple. There must be a strong community relationship, friendships that create a bond among advocates. In short, the charity or the cause must build a family.
One such “family” in the O.C. is the local chapter of the national nonprofit known as Childhelp. This is a family bond that has grown stronger over several decades, due in significant part to the unyielding dedication of advocates including Patti and Jim Edwards, Eileen and the late Rich Saul, Mary Allyn Dexter, Katherine Meredith, Pam and Bud Pharris, Shan and Alix Vincent, Jacquie and Michael Casey and current chapter President Christine Bren.
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Also significant family members are Cheryl and Gina Van Ocker, Brad Hinman, Joyce and Mark Simon, Joy Estrada, Nancy Whitlock, Cleo Bluth, Erna Minkoff, Jill Glick, and Beverly and Bob Cohen, to name only a few.
Supporters have returned year after year to support abused and abandoned children who find themselves on the bottom rung of child services. The young people rescued by Childhelp, from infants to 18-year-olds, are for the most part the most difficult cases to deal with. In California, for example, state services have been unable to assist such children for any number of reasons.
Into the breach has stepped the Orange County Chapter of Childhelp, one of the most active chapters in the nation. The local group supports a major living center in Beaumont, Calif., the Childhelp Merv Griffin Village, named after the late entertainer and donor Merv Griffin. In addition, three group homes in Costa Mesa serve local children.
Recently in Newport Beach, the O.C. Childhelp family came together for a fall fundraising gala to support these homes, descending on the tony Balboa Bay Resort for a third annual Saturday Night Speakeasy. Chaired by Linda Burns, Veronica Meshkati and Shan Vincent, the Oct. 22 party attracted some 300 guests and raised $250,000. Organizers report that more than 90 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to child services.
Party planners went all out creating a mock speakeasy. Patrons entered using a password and found faux gaming tables and “bathtub gin” stations awaiting them. The crowd enjoyed a marvelous multicourse dinner prepared by Balboa Bay Resort’s executive chef, Rachel Haggstrom, as evening tributes were presented.
Receiving the Benevolent Heart award was devoted member Eileen Saul. She joined her daughter Jamie Hong on stage in accepting the high honor. The annual Childhelp golf tournament has been renamed the Rich Saul Memorial Golf Classic in honor of her late husband.
Another high point in the evening was the address by a young man named Sean Tolliver, a graduate of one of the Childhelp Costa Mesa group homes. Tolliver inspired the audience with his personal story of survival against seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
A major auction and raffle raised the financial bar. Guests danced until midnight, when chimes were sounded.
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B.W. COOK is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.
