CHARITY SCORECARD

Debbie Reynolds and John Moschitta, former “fastest talker” record holder, hosted the Suma Ching Hai International Assn.’s “One World . . . of Peace Through Music” benefit concert Dec. 18. About 6,000 people attended the event at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, which featured the Beach Boys Family & Friends (led by original Beach Boy Al Jardine, accompanied by his sons, Matt and Adam; Wendy and Carnie Wilson, daughters of Brian Wilson; and Owen Elliot, daughter of the late Mama Cass Elliot). Composers-conductors Bill Conti and Fred Karlin, and Gaelic Storm, the Irish band from “Titanic,” also performed. Composer Maria Newman presented a piece conducted by George Thatcher, featuring soprano Anne Marie Ketchum, and Kerry Walsh sang a song composed and conducted by Peter Boyer; these compositions were musical adaptations of the poetry of Ching Hai, the supreme master of the humanitarian organization. Ching Hai, a poet and religion and meditation teacher, donated $250,000, which will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Starlight Children’s Foundation.

* The International Ballroom was turned into an English garden Dec. 22 for the Las Madrinas Ball at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hils. More than 33 debutantes were presented at the ball, attended by 850 guests. The debutantes, all college freshmen, and their families were honored for their contributions to the community. The ball was chaired by Maribeth Borthwick with the assistance of Kathy Hampar and a committee. Ed Fountain announced each debutante, who then danced with her father to the music of the Bob Gail Orchestra. Susan Armistead was debutante chairman, and Mimi O’Keefe assisted her along with a committee. Cheryl Baker is president of Las Madrinas, which means the Godmothers. It was founded in 1933 to support and volunteer service to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. Las Madrinas recently completed its $2 million commitment to Childrens Hospital in three years, a year earlier than its goal.

* More than 100 members of the U.S. Secret Service, the Los Angeles Police Department Metro Division and the California Highway Patrol, plus representatives from donating companies played Santa to hundreds of homeless women and children Dec. 17. The group formed a motorcade for the third annual A Better Christmas event, and drove to the Good Shepherd Center’s Mother-Child Residence in L.A. and the Hawkes Transitional Residence in Hollywood. They gave the children toys donated by Mattel Inc., and the women travel kits and about $800 worth of long-stemmed red roses donated by Valle Wholesale Flowers. They pressed on to two inner-city schools--Our Lady of Loretto in Echo Park and 10th Street Elementary in downtown L.A.--to drop off toys and about $100,000 worth of food and toiletries from Ralphs. The 15-car motorcade included Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Frank O’Donnell, LAPD Chief Bernard Parks and CHP Chief Ed Gomez. The Good Shepherd Center was established as an independent program of Catholic Charities of Los Angeles Inc. in 1984. Its services are nonsectarian, and open to people of all ethnic and religious backgrounds.

* The Law Guild of Beverly Hills donated about $6,800 worth of gifts to the MacLaren Children’s Center in El Monte at a Dec. 16 holiday celebration. The residents received shirts, slacks and jeans donated by the B.C. Ethic clothing company, as well as a VCR and videotapes. MacLaren Children’s Center is the short-term emergency shelter operated by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services for non-deliquent, abused children. The Law Guild of Beverly Hills is a nonprofit organization that raises funds for law-related charitable organizations and scholarships for law students, leads court tours for students, and presents educational programs for seniors and students.

* American Express Co. announced $1.2 million in grants Dec. 14 to be awarded through the American Express Performing Arts Fund to 15 major performing arts organizations around the country, including a $100,000 grant to the Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles and a $25,000 grant to the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. The fund was created in 1997 to develop young, more diverse audiences to help sustain the organizations.

--HEATHER STEWART JORDEN

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 news release to Charity Scorecard, Southern California Living, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, or fax to (213) 237-4888. Submissions must reach us no more than two weeks after the benefit.