Scene & Heard: Billabong’s ‘Design for Humanity’ charity event

For its annual charity bash, “Design for Humanity,” Billabong didn’t choose the easy route. Instead, the maker of active sportswear opted to stage a block party for 3,000 at Paramount Studios in Hollywood and then delivered all $75,000 from ticket sales to Invisible Children, a group dedicated to ending the use of child soldiers and restoring peace to Northern Uganda.

Candy Harris, Billabong’s women’s brand director, compared the organization of such a shindig to “jumping off a high dive — it’s a big leap of faith,” she said. “Every year, we see which cause moves us the most. Then we try to do something, but not make it a lecture.”

And so, on June 10, art exhibitors, T-shirt decorators and deejays took over the familiar New York streets once walked by Spider-Man, Indiana Jones and the Cloverfield monster during the filming of their movies. For added entertainment, there were the LXD: Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, rapper Kid Sister, music performance duo Fischerspooner and a runway show of one-of-a-kind bikinis.

“This is definitely our biggest fundraiser,” said Laren Poole of Invisible Children. “Ninety percent of our donations are $20 or less.” Poole, Jason Russell and Bobby Bailey co-founded the organization.

‘Timeless Realism’

Through her gallery, the LA Art House, Margie Perenchio has found an unusual way to support good causes. All profits from the current show, “Timeless Realism,” will go to the Women’s Endowment, earmarked for research into early detection, prevention and treatments of women’s cancers.

The show features Perenchio’s own paintings and those of portraitist Laurent Dareau. Kelly Day, whose portrait by Dareau appears on the invitation, is the charity’s chairman.

Stopping by the gallery to oversee the show’s set-up, Perenchio said that the new show is not the norm. Typically, the gallery exhibits works by new artists, alongside those of an established artist, and donates all profits to the Hammer Projects series, which showcases emerging artists at the Hammer Museum in Westwood.

In this way, the museum gets funding and Perenchio gives young artists a place to show their work, she said. The buyers benefit, too as their money helps the museum and they get a painting, she said, “instead of rubber chicken.”

“Timeless Realism” continues until July 24.

Tower of Hope Gala

No prompting was needed to persuade Kaley Cuoco of “The Big Bang Theory” to host the Tower of Hope Gala. Cuoco said she recently lost two loved ones to cancer — a 47-year-old aunt and a 14-year old friend.

As Barbara Federman recalled, “As soon as I mentioned the gala, Kaley said ‘Count me in.’”

Federman and Linda Levenson Delsack co-chaired the June 13 dinner for 700 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, assisted by committee members Elizabeth Drucker, Judy Freeman, Abby Levy, Nancy Mishkin and Kathy and Peter Schankowitz. The event raised funds for the Tower Cancer Research Foundation — which provides clinical trial research in a private-practice setting — and honored Linda and Roger Howard, Brindell Gottlieb and physician researchers Ahmed Aribi, Andre Scott Jung, Nu Lu and Arun Singh.

In speaking of the changing health-care landscape, Garry Marshall, director of “Valentine’s Day,” said, “It used to be that you had to have the best doctor.” He said more is required now, “but you also need a good doctor.”

ellen.olivier@society-news.com