The Tea-Do List

The event: Ninth Annual High Tea, a genteel afternoon of harp music, finger sandwiches and fall fashions at the Center Club in Costa Mesa. Wednesday’s tea party benefited the Orange County Ronald McDonald House, which provides a home away from home for families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at Children’s Hospital of Orange County in Orange.

Tea for 200: A full house enjoyed a formal tea, sipping their Earl Grey and nibbling on scones and finger sandwiches while being serenaded by harpist Mindy Ball of the Pacific Symphony. Models from La Galleria in Tustin and Armoire in Newport Beach wandered among the tables showing off the latest fall fashions.

Patti Widdicombe, who chaired the event with her mother, Gene, said the tea attracts larger crowds every year because it provides an afternoon escape. “It’s unique. It’s not your usual luncheon or black-tie fund-raiser,” she said.

House guest: Dorothy Harberts of San Clemente told the crowd how the Ronald McDonald House allowed her to stay close to her son Daniel while he underwent treatment for a liver tumor at CHOC five years ago.

“I wanted to be with my son, but it was impossible until one of the nurses told us about the Ronald McDonald House,” she said. “I stayed there a lot over the next two years, and I was able to bond with other parents who were going through what I was going through.” Daniel, now 8, “is doing great.”

Quote: “Children who are fighting for their lives seem to do much better if they stay close to their families,” said Jim Howard, board president of the Ronald McDonald House. “Unfortunately, most hospitals aren’t in communities where families live.”

Bottom line: The $50-per-person High Tea was expected to net more than $25,000. Proceeds will go to operating expenses of the Ronald McDonald House, a 20-bed facility in Orange that provides lodging to families of children undergoing treatment at CHOC or other local hospitals at no or low cost ($5 a night).

Faces: Keith Wisbaum and Pat Buttress, who were honored for their support; Mary Jo Donofrio; Glenn and Debbie Lawler; Karen Raab; Marlene Frisbie; Bill and Susana O’Keefe; Virginia Mangione; Regis and Ruth Dugue; Ed and Dottie Johnson; and Sally Gallagher.

What’s ahead: For information about the Orange County Ronald McDonald House, including upcoming fund-raisers, call (714) 639-3600.