Charity Scorecard
* Dustin Hoffman and Michael York were among the 200 guests who enjoyed “An Epicurean Evening” and raised $300,000 for UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center on June 6. Held at UCLA’s Franklin Murphy Sculpture Garden, the evening featured a four-course gourmet meal prepared by renowned chefs Roland Gibert of 72 Market St. and Gary Clauson, executive chef of the Hotel Bel-Air. Auction items included a walk-on part on “Beverly Hills, 90210” and a day as an air traffic controller in training at the Burbank control tower. The event was co-chaired by Helene Brown and Julie Loshin. Hoffman was honorary chairman of the event and serves on the cancer center’s board of directors.
* Matt Damon, Helen Hunt, Edward James Olmos, Marlee Matlin and John Cusack were among those honored at the 25th annual Vision Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The June 20 event, presented by RP International, a nonprofit organization that fights retinitis pigmentosa and other blinding degenerative eye diseases, raised $750,000. The fund-raiser, chaired by 20th Century Fox Chief Executive Bill Mechanic and Paramount’s Sherry Lansing, honors people and companies who have exhibited vision, foresight and insight in creative arts, medical research and film technology related to innovations for the blind. Daily Variety columnist Army Archerd hosted and comedian Mike Myers emceed the event, attended by more than 1,000 guests. The dinner featured performances by Bryan McKnight and Kenny G. In addition to medical research, Vision Awards funds are used for programs such as TheatreVision, a process that makes films, stage productions and television programs accessible to the blind via a descriptive audio track.
* Nearly 400 guests dined in style and raised $110,000 for the AIDS Service Center and celebrated its 10th anniversary June 6. The “Big Night Out” gala started off at the Morgan Estate in Pasadena with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, silent and live auctions, and a ceremony honoring the AIDS Service Center and longtime supporters Robinsons-May, Jim Watterston and Peggy Phelps. Guests then went off to one of 14 themed dinner parties from “A Summer Sonnet in the Glen” at the Pasadena home of Rick Nordin and John Schug to “City Lights,” a penthouse dinner in downtown Los Angeles’ Hyatt Regency Hotel. The center serves more than 1,500 people with HIV-AIDS in Los Angeles County annually.
* Has your group held a charity fund-raiser recently? Let us know about it. We will report on selected local benefit projects and events. Please tell us about your organization and the charity you support, how much you raised, how the charity uses your gift and the details of your event--what, when and where. Send a letter or press release to Social Sunday, Life & Style, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, or fax to (213) 237-4888.
