Feathering Care-Giving Nests

The Event: A dinner benefit for Canyon Acres Children’s Services, an agency in Anaheim Hills that provides treatment for abused and emotionally troubled children. Saturday’s event at the Village Crean in Newport Beach was the first of its kind staged by the agency’s board of directors, who wanted--in the words of one member--to “make some noise” about Canyon Acres.

Green Acres: Guests learned about Canyon Acres through a video and a talk by executive director Daniel McQuaid. The agency provides long-term intensive treatment for troubled children who have been removed from abusive homes and placed temporarily in Orangewood, the county’s emergency shelter. The children stay an average of 18 months at Canyon Acres’ 4.6-acre, 30-bed, horse ranch before moving to six-bed intermediate-treatment homes. Eventually they are placed in foster care or reunited with families. “We’re unique. We offer the highest level of psychiatric treatment for children who have been abused and neglected and may have significant behavioral and emotional problems,” McQuaid said.

It Takes a Village Crean: More than 150 guests attended the event, staged at the estate of John and Donna Crean. Party-goers wandered about the property, heading up the massive staircase for a peek at the home’s small theater and pausing to watch the sun set on the Back Bay. “Everything here is larger and bigger than life,” said Sue Bell, president of the Friends of Canyon Acres Society.

Dinner Theater: Drawings made by Canyon Acres residents served as place mats at the poolside dinner. Guests enjoyed a buffet of chicken Marsala, roast beef and pastas prepared by Foscari’s in Anaheim Hills. After dinner, guests were entertained by Company C, a song-and-dance troupe of 25 students from Canyon High School in Anaheim, who performed tunes from the musical “Grease” and other pop songs.

Quote: “When children come to Canyon Acres, it’s important that we begin planning for their emancipation and return to society,” said Nancy Bourgeois, board president. “What all of us would like is some permanency in our lives, and a family. Canyon Acres provides a real home for children who may never have experienced it.”

Faces: Larry Campbell, Denise Weis-Daugherty, Lisa Heemer, Doug Bell, Teri Joens-White, Deborah Silverstein, Jack Schrader, Becky Rice, Heidi Prescott, Pat Powers, Charlotte Kewish, Diane Wright, Joyce McQuade and Tom Kelley.

Bottom Line: The $75-per-person dinner was expected to net $15,000 to support Canyon Acres’ group homes and foster care. McQuaid announced plans to collaborate with the Kinship Center, a Tustin-based adoption agency, in finding adoptive homes for the children.

What’s Ahead: Par Fore Kids, the 12th annual golf tournament sponsored by the Friends of Canyon Acres Society, to be held at the Yorba Linda Country Club on July 28. Ticket price: $175 per person for golf, lunch and dinner. Information: (714) 998-3272.