CHARITY SCORECARD

More than 600 entertainment industry types wearing Western garb filled CBS Television City in Los Angeles on May 1 for the 46th annual SHARE “Babes in Boomtown” party. A live show starred Red Buttons, comedian-impressionist Janice Hart, country and western star Collin Raye and his band, the preteen Carousel dancers, and 12-year-old singer Brooke Adams. “Saturday Night Live” alumnus Kevin Nealon emceed. Members of SHARE, the SHARETTE singers and dancers, highlighted the show with Broadway-style musical numbers. The 130 SHARE members are female entertainment industry performers, executives, creative talent and wives of industry leaders. Olivia Newton-John, who was unable to attend, was the recipient of the Shining Spirit award. The party raised $1.5 million, which SHARE (Share Happily and Reap Endlessly) will distribute to more than 30 charities involving women and children, including the Child Disability Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the Center for the Partially Sighted, Covenant House-California, the ERAS Center, Exceptional Children’s Foundation, Hathaway Children and Family Services, the Richstone Family Center, the SHARE building, Therapeutic Preschool at Saint John’s Child and Family Development Center, Stuart House, Tierra Del Sol, Villa Esperanza and the SHARE/UCLA Parenting Project.

* Actors and Others for Animals’ “Celebration of Caring” on May 1 attracted more than 500 people and raised $100,000. The event, held at the Universal Hilton and Towers in Universal City, featured a celebrity fashion show with clothes provided by Bernini of Beverly Hills and Shauna Stein of Beverly Hills. Lisa Hartman-Black led off the show as honorary chairwoman, with the help of Burt Reynolds, who made a surprise appearance. Celebrity models included Harry Hamlin and his wife, Lisa Rinna, Amy Pietz, Bruce Davison, Kevin Nealon, Loretta Swit, Cassandra Peterson, Perry King, Linda Purl, Linda Blair, Stephanie Zimbalist, Sherman Helmsley, Charles Perez, Trina McGee-Davis, Maxwell Caulfield, Bob Goen, Stephanie Miller, Steve Railsback, Louise Sorel, Roarke Critchlow, Sally Kirkland, Anne Marie Johnson, Jason George, Peter Barton, Elinor Donahue, Fred Travolina, France Nuyen, David Leisure and Olympic gold medalist Bob Seagren. Eddie the dog from “Frasier” modeled his own fur coat and a designer doggy bandanna. Other celebrities in attendance were Veronica Hamil, Angie Dickinson, Robert Blake, Leonard Maltin, Virginia Mayo, Piper Laurie, Betsy Palmer, June Haver and Actors and Others for Animals board members Betty White and Earl Holliman. Michael Burger and Leigh Taylor-Young provided commentary. The organization provides cruelty intervention, disaster relief, veterinary subsidies, humane education and animal-assisted therapy programs in Southern California and supports numerous other animal welfare programs throughout the world.

* More than 800 people attended the pre-opening gala of the Whole Foods Market in Pasadena May 3, raising $10,000 for the “Nourish and Flourish” program at Kidspace Museum in Los Angeles. The event showcased 20 Pasadena chefs, who used fresh ingredients from Whole Foods Market to create recipes for tasting. They included Jeff Zych of Abiento, Yujean Kan of Yujean Kan, Joseph Gillard of Pinot, Jason Bulestieri of Twin Palms, Bob Harrison, proprietor of Green Street Restaurant and Hugo Molina, proprietor of Hugo Molina. The “Nourish and Flourish” program offers schoolchildren and teachers from Pasadena Unified School District schools lessons in healthy foods and lifestyles.

* The Center Theatre Group Affiliates gathered more than 800 CTG patrons, entertainment industry people and Los Angeles artists May 1 at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City to honor producer Robert Halmi Jr. and Los Angeles community leaders at the Angels’ Night ’99 gala. Halmi was honored for his creative contributions to the television industry, particularly family-oriented projects. Gregory Peck, who co-starred in the recent Halmi production of “Moby Dick,” presented the award along with the film’s star, Patrick Stewart. Other attendees included Leonor Varela and Billy Zane, who portray Cleopatra and Marc Antony in Halmi’s recent ABC miniseries; Mary Steenburgen, who starred in the recent “Noah’s Ark” on NBC; and Ted Danson, star of Halmi’s “Gulliver’s Travels.” Joan Nicholas, a leading figure in the Los Angeles art community, received the Guardian Angel Award; Audrey Skirball-Kenis and Charles Kenis received the newly established Skirball-Kenis Philanthropy Award. Among the artists whose work was sold in the charity auction were Laddie John Dill, Guy Dill, Woods Davy, the late Sam Francis, Peter Shire, Gronk, David Hockney, Betty Gold, Judy Stabile, Jim Morphesis, Ruth Snyder, Vivian Flynn, Lyn Foullkes, Judy Chicago, Ann Thornycroft and Patricia Oshita. The $750,000 raised will help support youth programs of the Center Theatre Group.

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.