CHARITY SCORECARD

Michael Trucco from “Pensacola: Wings of Gold” commanded the top bid of $3,000 at the Big Brothers of Greater Los Angeles’ 13th annual Celebrity Bachelor Auction Feb. 12. About $100,000 was raised, with more than 600 women bidding for date packages with 40 of Los Angeles’ most eligible bachelors. Byron Allen emceed the event, held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Other high bids went to T.J. Storm of “Conan the Adventurer” ($2,500), KYSR-FM’s (Star 98.7) Ryan Seacrest ($2,200), Steve Wilder of “Melrose Place” ($2,200), Kevin Spirtas of “Days of Our Lives” ($2,000), TV fitness personality Michael George ($2,000) and “Baywatch’s” Michael Bergin ($2,000). Corporate sponsors of the auction were KTWV-FM (94.7 the Wave); Chicago Title; Majestic Realty Co.; Brockett Tamny & Co.; and Investor’s Business Daily. Big Brothers is a nonprofit, nonsectarian agency that provides role models to fatherless boys.

* About 50 people raised $4,000 bowling for the Create-a-Smile Animal Assisted Therapy Team Feb. 11 at the “Bowl for Hearts & Smiles” Valentine’s bowling party at Bay Shore Bowling in Santa Monica. Create-a-Smile provides free animal visits to more than 40 health care facilities in the L.A. area on a regular basis. Animals include dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, rabbits and llamas. Facilities include hospitals, abused children centers, convalescent hospitals, battered women’s shelters, special education centers, nursing homes, VA facilities, psychiatric institutions, prisons, handicapped day care facilities and others. Animal assisted therapy has been shown to decrease blood pressure, stress, anxiety and depression, and to increase life span, motor skills, independence levels, self-esteem and motivation.

* Fifteen teams competed in the eighth annual Community Trivia Challenge for Literacy at the Huntington Beach Central Library Feb. 19. The three-person teams, made up of local leaders and corporate sponsors, raised about $10,000 answering trivia questions to benefit Literacy Volunteers of America, Huntington Valley. The group was established in 1984 to help illiterate adults learn to read and write. About 300 attended the trivia challenge and supper.

* Harlyne Norris was honored at the USC / Norris Cancer Hospital Auxiliary’s Valentine’s Day dinner-dance at the Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel in Pasadena. More than 350 guests attended and raised more that $150,000 for the hospital. Norris and her late husband, Kenneth T. Norris Jr., provided the money to establish the USC / Kenneth T. Norris Jr. Cancer Hospital.

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.