L.A. Foundation Makes Kids’ Dreams of Education Come True

Everyone was “feelin’ the spirit” Sunday afternoon, when supporters of I Have a Dream Foundation Los Angeles gathered at L.A.’s historic Park Plaza Hotel for the second annual Gospel Brunch commemorating the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Back Ally Choir from “Ally McBeal” and the Miracle City Choir moved the crowd of more than 350, who enjoyed traditional soul food--black-eyed peas, grits, hush puppies and pain perdu (French toast) with cane syrup.

The stars of the show, however, were the “Dreamers” themselves, four of whom were second-graders from Altadena’s Franklin Elementary School, the youngest class ever adopted by the foundation. These 60 children have been promised college scholarships if they graduate from high school. (The H.N. & Frances C. Berger Foundation will provide the tuition money, more than $1.3 million.) Poised beyond their years, the kids shared dreams that ranged from making people pick up trash to saving the elephants.

Actresses Kim Fields and Tasha Smith emceed. Kelly Goode Abugov and Alison Taylor co-chaired the doings with lots of help from Mindy Pashkow, Debbie Fisher, Genna Goldberg, Theo Mason and Virginia Tsai.

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“You know, I am amazing myself.”

--Han Solo, “Star Wars”

It’s been nearly a quarter of a century since a kid from Modesto named George Lucas amazed himself, the film industry and movie fans with a modern myth called “Star Wars.”

His longtime friend Steven Spielberg borrowed Solo’s line last week the other night to characterize Lucas when members of the American Jewish Committee paid tribute to the now-legendary filmmaker.

“ ‘Star Wars’ was the Big Bang,” Spielberg said. “The result is the goofiest billionaire I’ve ever met . . . and your children’s best friend.”

Lucas received the Sherrill C. Corwin Human Relations Award at the committee’s annual dinner. Like some other past awardees--Bob Hope, Jack Valenti and Clint Eastwood--Lucas is not Jewish. So at first, he was reluctant to accept the award, said Spielberg. “I told him, ‘George, in your heart, you’re Jewish.’ ” In addition to serving on the Board of Councilors of the USC School of Cinema-Television, Lucas is chairman of his own educational foundation and is a board member of several philanthropic foundations.

More than 600 guests packed the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel’s ballroom for the event, which featured “60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl as keynoter. Dinner co-chairs included Peter Chernin, Michael Eisner, Lucy Fisher, Sherry Lansing, Barry Meyer, Ron Meyer, Gordon Radley and Bruce Ramer. Committee President Richard S. Volpert reports proceeds exceeded $1.4 million, $350,000 of which was donated by Lucas.

Patt Diroll’s column is published Tuesdays. She can be reached at pattdiroll@earthlink.net.