Rockers and Rollers
The event: Rock ‘n’ Roll Royale Casino Night, a Vegas-style gala that had guests taking a chance with Lady Luck on Thursday at the Hard Rock Cafe in Newport Beach. Staged by Team X-treme, a group of young professionals that supports the Alzheimer’s Assn. of Orange County, the casino night raised a jackpot for the chapter’s help line.
Full house: A pair of massive
fuzzy dice dangled above the heads of 350 guests as they made their way into the Hard Rock for a night of fun and games. With play money in hand, the high rollers hit the green felt tables, trying their luck at 21, roulette
and other games of chance. At the end of the evening, they turned in scrip for prizes.
“Everybody’s a winner tonight because we’re raising money for Alzheimer’s [outreach program],” said Jacqueline DuPont, event chairwoman.
X-Files: Team X-treme was started in 1996 by Julia Sassone, whose mother died of Alzheimer’s disease in August. “I was looking for some control over a situation I had no control over, and I wanted to make my mother proud,” Sassone said.
The team has about 40 members, most in their 20s and 30s. Some have parents or grandparents with Alzheimer’s disease. “We’re a Gen-X crowd that wants to make a difference,” Sassone said. “We want to explode the myth
that we’re just interested in ourselves.”
The stakes: The $40-per-person casino night netted about $15,000 for
the help line. Volunteers answer the phones, offering callers support and information about Alzheimer’s disease. “If they have questions about Alzheimer’s--from ‘what are the signs
of the disease?’ to ‘what kind of treatments are available?--the help
line can stand by them through every step,” said Linda Scheck, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Assn. based in Orange. The help-line number is (714) 283-1111.
Players: Also among guests were James Jones, event co-chairman; Frank and Victoria Bonetti; Libby Borgen; Jeff and Debi Caprio; Chuck Conine; Stephanie Chappell; Amy Daugherty; Chris Eberhart; Patrick Frazier; Dan Jones; Jolene Kay Kahn; Wendy Krussman; Tim Nash; Irene Nobles; Joanna Powell; Dale Prince; Faith Racjec; Jill Saito; Robin Simpson; and Kasey Street.
What’s ahead: Memory Walk & Classic Car Show to benefit the Alzheimer’s Assn. of Orange County on Oct. 4 at the Irvine Spectrum Entertainment Center. Call (714) 283-1111.