Celebrities Show They Care About AIDS Auction : Health: James Coburn’s cigar case and a Vanna White dress are among items to be sold. But a pair of panties is taken back.
A canvas tote bag emblazoned with Elizabeth Taylor’s face and James Coburn’s autographed cigar case are among the items celebrities have donated for an auction to raise money for AIDS in Ventura County.
But at the last minute, one donation had to be returned: Phyllis Diller’s underpants.
Diller’s undergarment was among the autographed posters, scripts and clothes given to AIDS Care Inc. of Ventura County for the organization’s first annual Red Ribbon Celebrity Auction scheduled for tonight at the North Ranch Private Community Center in Westlake.
On Friday, Diller called the event’s organizers to have her black pair of panties returned, saying she feared it would send a wrong message at an AIDS benefit. Without Diller’s knowledge, her assistant sent a pair of the comedian’s underpants to be sold at the celebrity auction, she said.
“It’s funny of course because it’s my panties,” Diller said in a telephone interview. “But I want the panties back. The last thing I would do is make any humor” out of acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
Instead, Diller sent the organization a flowered dress for the auction.
“I lost many friends to AIDS,” Diller said. “It’s a global plague, a scourge that’s getting scarier and scarier. There’s nothing funny about it.”
Other items to be auctioned Saturday include John McEnroe’s used tennis racket (without any dents), a pillow from Tori Spelling of “Beverly Hills 90210” and a blue, sequined cocktail dress worn by Vanna White on the game show “Wheel of Fortune.”
Also for the event, President-elect Bill Clinton sent an autographed “Clinton/Gore for President” sign. Not to be outdone, Barbara Bush and Millie left their signature on “Millie,” the first lady’s best-seller. Other celebrity memorabilia include items from Ted Danson, Roseanne Arnold, Whoopi Goldberg, Mark Harmon, Neil Diamond and Mary Steenburgen. Ojai potter Beatrice Wood donated a ceramic chalice.
A few local celebrities will attend the auction, including Eileen Brennan of “Private Benjamin” and Linda Kelsey of “Lou Grant,” both of Ojai. J.D. Power, president of J.D. Power and Associates, an automobile marketing research company, and Jim Walker, president of Moorpark College, also plan to be there.
“AIDS is a very important issue. We can’t do enough to find a cure and a prevention,” Power said.
The money raised at the auction will go to AIDS Care’s programs, which serve more than 125 people throughout the county, organizers said. The organization’s volunteers provide a range of services to people who are infected with HIV, as well as their families.
Among other programs, AIDS Care provides counseling, transportation, financial assistance and legal help. The organization also offers a buddy system to those who are abandoned after they are diagnosed with the virus or find themselves unable to talk with friends or relatives.
“We’re the only agency in the county devoted exclusively to working with people affected by HIV-disease,” said Edie Brown, AIDS Care’s executive director.
AIDS Care raises most of its yearly $150,000 budget from contributions from United Way, Ryan White Care Funds, the city of Ventura and fund-raising events such as its annual spring AIDS walk.
Fifty-two people have died of AIDS-related illnesses in Ventura County, Brown said. “Public health estimates there is close to 3,000 people infected in Ventura County,” she said.
After six years of serving the county from its Ventura office, AIDS Care plans to open a satellite office in Thousand Oaks next year to respond to the growing needs of east county residents, Brown said. She said that close to 2,000 people could be infected with the HIV virus in the Conejo Valley.
Tickets to the auction are for sale at the door at $25. The event includes a complimentary wine bar and free dessert.
