Shelling Out for Childhelp
Ceramic eggs decorated by celebrities were auctioned off Wednesday night at “The Ultimate Hunt” at Neiman Marcus in Newport Beach.
About 150 supporters of Childhelp USA gathered at the upscale Fashion Island store to celebrate the Easter season and raise funds for abused and neglected children. Proceeds from the sale of the eggs were estimated at $15,000.
Eggs Well Done
Neiman Marcus mailed matte-white eggs to hundreds of celebrities, inviting them to decorate them for use at charity events in stores nationwide.
“Neiman Marcus had an event like this at its St. Louis store last year,” said benefit chairwoman Beth Bidna. “It was so successful they decided to try it again at other stores.”
Guests dined on fare from Fashion Island restaurants and eyed the cleverly designed eggs--each representing the personality of its designer.
Billionaire Warren Buffet decorated his with greenbacks, natch. Humorist Garrison Keillor embellished his with an autograph and a self-portrait. Comedian Jim Carrey’s egg bore a simple autograph.
Actress Rebecca DeMornay smothered her egg with scarlet kisses. Pianist Roger Williams dotted his with musical notes. And fashion designer Donna Karan dressed hers in basic black and a splash of gold.
Bidna called upon a few of her friends to get eggs decorated by fitness guru Richard Simmons (who used hundreds of purple sequins and white pearls to make his cross-themed egg) and the casts of the “Friends” and “Days of Our Lives” TV shows.
Simmons was so proud of his egg, Bidna said, that he called store executives and asked: “Do you love it? Did you cry?” Simmons’ egg got one of the top bids of the evening--$1,000.
Among guests: Marion Jacobson, (who cochaired with Natalie Tabb the recent Childhelp benefit honoring talk-show shrink Laura Schlessinger); Patti Edwards, president of Childhelp’s Orange County chapter; Rusty Hood; Hedda Marosi; Tina and Matt Schafnitz with their son, Alex; Childhelp founder Eileen Saul; Hans and Charlene Prager; and Carol Horowitz, general manager of Neiman Marcus, Newport Beach.
