S.P.I.N. Is the Winner at Casino Night

While guests tried their luck at blackjack and roulette Friday at the Riviera ’92 Casino Night, the Street People in Need (S.P.I.N.) organization was the evening’s real winner.

The “S.P.I.N.-E.R.S.” gala at Cano’s Restaurant in Newport Beach attracted 350 guests and raised $35,000 to benefit the organization, which assists homeless families in Orange County.

Glamorous Gamblers

A glamorous crowd took over the restaurant, which had been transformed into a casino for the night and festooned with red, white, green and black balloons.

“We wanted blue balloons to match the poker chips but we ran out,” said Rosemary Swimm, event co-chairwoman and president of S.P.I.N.-E.R.S.

The balloons were anchored by empty Campbell soup cans “so people remember why they’re here,” Swimm said.

Some of the women looked as if they had been poured into their sparkling bustiers, lace dresses, sequined sheaths and studded leather miniskirts. S.P.I.N.-E.R. Lynda Rosenblatt sported cream-colored satin pants, a lace bustier and a long matching scarf she painted with her initials--a stunning number she’d pulled together in a pinch.

“I was going to wear a new Bob Mackie gown, but my husband broke the zipper before we were supposed to go!” she said.

Fabulous Fare

When guests weren’t trying to outwit the dealers, they were lining up at food stations and filling their plates with meats, pastas and Mexican food.

They stood shoulder to shoulder with a host of celebrities attracted to the cause, including Mathew Ashford and Roberta Leighton of “Days of Our Lives,” Corey Young of “General Hospital” and California Angels pitcher Chuck Finley.

“I know people out there aren’t doing so well so I’m doing what I can do to give back to the community,” said Finley, who vowed not to gamble that evening.

Swimm, who credited S.P.I.N.-E.R.S. with getting the word out to their influential friends, marveled at the turnout.

“I don’t know what attracts the crowd here,” she said. “I hope it’s that they have good hearts.”

Guests paid $75 per person to attend the party, and additional funds were raised through a silent auction that offered, among other items, an autographed copy of Joan Collins’ new book, “Love, Hate & Desire” and an autographed Scorpions tour jacket.

A Sure Bet

Proceeds from the evening support S.P.I.N. programs such as substance abuse rehabilitation, apartment move-in assistance and a job referral service.

“We started this because there are very few programs for the homeless,” said Sam Boyce, president of S.P.I.N. “We singled out street people because they’re sort of the bottom of the barrel.”

Shelley Reynolds, event co-chairwoman who attended with her fiancee, Michael Elam, M.D., said the recession has turned more families out on the street.

“People think of Orange County as being affluent, but with the economy, a lot of people are one paycheck away from being homeless,” Reynolds said.

Other faces in the crowd included: Marilyn and Randy Barth, Barbara Flora, Cindy and John Galardi, Maxine and Bob Gibson, Kristin and Paul Heeschen, Tammy and Lou Knickerbocker, Wendy and Doc McGhee, Mary and Lou Sabatasso, Matt and Tina Schafnitz, Jacque and Bill Walters and Laurie Woodruff.