CHARITY SCORECARD

“The Out-of-Towners” co-stars Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn co-chaired a gala and screening of the film March 29, raising $210,000 for scholarships for Pitzer College and the California State Summer School for the Arts. More than 750 people attended the premiere and party on the Paramount Studios lot in Hollywood, including the film’s director, Sam Weisman, Martin Short, Beverly Johnson, Michelle Phillips, Beverly Hills City Council member and former Mayor Vicki Reynolds; and Susan Pritzker, chairwoman of Pitzer’s board of trustees. Susan Dolgen, chairwoman of the Summer School for the Arts’ board of trustees and a member of Pitzer’s board, and Jonathan L. Dolgen, chairman of Viacom Entertainment Group, also co-chaired the gala. Pitzer College, a member of the Claremont Colleges, is a private liberal arts institution. Its curriculum spans 40 major fields, with an emphasis on social responsibility and community service. Summer School for the Arts is a residential training program for high school students in the visual, performing and literary arts. Another screening of “The Out-of-Towners” on April 1 at Paramount raised $60,000 for the California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation. About 425 people attended, including Jon Voight.The foundation provides financial assistance to officers’ families, including those of officers killed on the job.

* Actress Rita Wilson received the Women of Courage award at “An Unforgettable Evening,” a March 23 gala at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. More than 800 people attended the gala, raising $2.7 million for Research for Women’s Cancers, a Cedars-Sinai Medical Center support group dedicated to fighting breast and gynecologic cancers. Entertainment for the evening was provided by Glenn Frey, Bette Midler and Martin Short.

Dr. Lawrence Platt was presented with the Nat King Cole award by Natalie Cole for his outstanding contributions in the fight against women’s cancers and his leadership in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Cedars-Sinai. Event co-chairwoman Anne Douglas announced that co-chairwoman Margie Petersen and her husband, Robert E. Petersen, had donated $1.25 million to Research for Women’s Cancers. Marion Laurie, Sandra Krause and Renette Ezralow were also co-chairs.

Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg were honorary chairs of the gala, and Candice Bergen and Bonnie Bruckheimer are this year’s national spokeswomen. Other celebrities in attendance were Tom Hanks, Kirk Douglas, Jon Lovitz and Sally Field.

Saks Fifth Avenue underwrote the event and Tiffany provided engraved crystal water decanters as gifts for the guests.

* Shelter Partnership Inc., a nonprofit agency serving a network of housing and social service providers for the homeless in Los Angeles County, honored performer and civic leader Harry Belafonte at its 10th annual benefit and awards dinner March 24 at the Regal Biltmore Hotel. Shari Belafonte accepted the first Tom Bradley Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of her father, who was unable to attend. Belafonte was honored for his leadership in the civil rights movement, the establishment of the “We Are the World” event, which has raised millions of dollars for charity, and his appointment as the U.S. UNICEF goodwill ambassador. Gillette Co. was honored for contributions of millions of dollars in products for homeless people served by Shelter Partnership. Fritz Coleman emceed the evening, which included a performance by Ray Romano of CBS’ “Everybody Loves Raymond.” The event was attended by about 500 people, including the late mayor’s daughter, Lorraine Bradley, and raised more than $215,000.

* Five Acres, the Boys’ and Girls’ Aid Society of Los Angeles, which helps abused children through prevention, treatment and an education center, announced a gift of $2,085 from Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena on April 5. The money was raised through the store’s “Give Back” program, under which 1% of sales from Vroman’s for a six-month period were donated to the agency. The program started in July 1998 and has raised more than $21,000, for 23 local charities.

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.