Partying to the Best of Their Knowledge

Nothing like a little behind-closed-doors schmoozing to make charity workers feel special.

About 60 boosters of the Cypress College Foundation got the super VIP treatment Tuesday night when they met at the private Club 33 in Disneyland for a cocktail and appetizer bash. (Club 33 is the only place in the Magic Kingdom where you can order a cocktail and have a gourmet meal. The waiting list for membership is as long as the line at Space Mountain in summer.)

After a brisk walk down Main Street, guests swept through the door at 33 Royal Street in the “French Quarter,” then rode a French lift to the main dining room where original conceptual sketches of New Orleans Square dot the walls.

The idea of the gathering, said Don Bedard, the foundation’s executive director, was to rally support for the college’s annual Americana Banquet, set for Feb. 20 at the Disneyland Hotel. (There, philanthropists John and Donna Crean will receive the foundation’s Americana Award.)

“These are the people who will go out into the community and make it happen,” Bedard said of the party- goers. “So we like to give them some- thing special right from the start.”

Welcoming guests to the club founded by Walt Disney were gala chairman Keith Nelson, Disneyland vice president Ron Dominguez, and foundation chairman Stan Pawlowski.

“The foundation is the support group for Cypress College,” said Pawlowski, an Anaheim banker. “Annually we raise about $120,000 at the Americana banquet for student scholarships and loans.”

When guests weren’t sipping fine wines or sampling a groaning board of canapes, they were chatting at elegant tables set with flickering candles. Thanks to Dominguez--a member of the foundation board--the group had the entire club to themselves.

“I look forward to the Americana banquet because it gives the community a chance to recognize one of its own,” said Sherrill Amador, vice president of instruction at Cypress College. “And the college gets to share in that recognition.

“And, of course, that’s what the community college is about--education and the community serving each other.”

Cynthia Coad loves the gala because of the prestige associated with the award. “It’s a real honor,” she said. “And the money goes to such a worthy cause.”

In addition to scholarships and loans, gala proceeds have been used for special college projects. “In recent years, the money has helped us stage an economic lab and found a disabled students program,” said Amador.