Tea for 250

The event: The annual Founders Club Tea Dance at the Ritz-Carlton in Dana Point. Club members staged the afternoon soiree Thursday to thank supporters and board members of South County Senior Services, which assists people--ages 60 and over--from Newport Beach to San Clemente.

Tea time: More than 250 guests gathered in a tent erected on the oceanfront property of the hotel, where they enjoyed a formal tea service complete with traditional finger sandwiches and scones. They danced to numbers by Cole Porter and other classic tunes. “I came from the hills of Mississippi, and I’ve never heard of a tea dance,” said Rex Tyner, emcee. For club members, the tea dance has become a stylish way to stage their annual meeting and recognize key supporters.

Senior aid: South County Senior Services, founded in 1975, helps people stay in their homes and out of nursing facilities. “Our mission is to prevent premature institutionalization--so we provide all of this support,” said Marilyn Ditty, the agency’s executive director. The Laguna Hills-based nonprofit agency offers services including Meals on Wheels, transportation, adult day-care and in-home nursing to foster independent living.

Quote: “We want elderly people to enjoy living. We’ll all be there someday, so it’s important for us to be there for them now,” said Marian Dornan, event chairwoman.

Faces: Board president Ralph Klaasen, Bob Hasbrook, Anna Boyce, Jacqueline DuPont, Lester Goodman, Dan Levine, Merlin and Edna Sant, Jean Rheinhardt, Gemma Heffernan, Al Sniderman, Becky Lomaka, Elizabeth Nelson-Westland, Leo Brennan and Helen Mills-Lindsay.

Bottom line: The agency’s services are provided for free or on an ability-to-pay basis.

What’s ahead: South County Senior Services will stage its ninth annual Senior Prom fund-raiser Nov. 1 at the Irvine Marriott. Information: (949) 498-0400.