Testimonial, Patriotic Cruise Aid City of Hope

The City of Hope Medical Center and its Beckman Research Institute, both located in Duarte, benefited from two fund-raising events held Saturday by separate support groups.

On Saturday night, the 29-year-old Sheila Sporn chapter of the City of Hope honored Fullerton resident William W. Weide with the Spirit of Life Award. The dinner-dance and testimonial at the Irvine Hilton and Towers attracted 250 guests and raised $70,000, according to a City of Hope spokesman.

Earlier in the day the “Love Boat USA Cruise,” sponsored by the Newport Harbor chapter, earned $4,000 while 120 guests mingled aboard the yacht B.P. John II.

Chapter founder and president Sylvia Macklis coordinated the cruise with yacht owners Ben and Dottie Bukewihge, who donated its use and a luncheon buffet for the third consecutive year.

The invitation read “for singles and the happily married” and encouraged red, white and blue attire. Asked if there was an age limit for the singles, Macklis replied, “If someone over 60 or under 30 sneaks in, it’s OK.”

The patriotically decorated 102-foot vessel departed from the Balboa Bay Club for the cruise to Dana Point and back. Entertainer Ferdie Furtado kept up the patriotic mood with “Anchors Aweigh” and group singing of “God Bless America.”

“That’s what it’s all about,” Macklis said. “It’s a kickoff party for the Fourth of July and the Statue of Liberty. The response has been terrific. We had to return about 30 checks because the boat can only hold so many.”

That night at the Hilton and Towers, Matt Seidman, coordinator of City of Hope’s national office in Los Angeles, made the presentation of the Spirit of Life Award to Weide. The award, a framed brass replica of a sculpture of three figures, graces the entrance of the medical center in Duarte. Seidman described it as the “dance of joy.”

Master of ceremonies Warren Jones introduced Sheila Sporn auxiliary president Louis Goodman, who in turn presented Weide with a life membership in the chapter.

Congratulatory letters read at the dinner cited Weide’s philanthropic endeavors, leadership in business--he’s vice chairman of the board of Fleetwood Enterprises Inc.--and community service.