Fund-Raisers and Balls Accent a Number of Local Charities

Cindra and Alan Ladd Jr. hosted a fund-raiser at their home June 1, which raised $500,000 for the Children’s Health Environment Coalition, founded by Nancy and James Chuda, whose 5-year-old daughter died of a rare cancer caused by an environmental toxic substance. Cynthia Palmer Gershman received the evening’s Angel Award for her support. . . . Also on June 1, Richard Koshalek treated members of Art Center 100 to a personal tour of the final show he created for the Geffen Contemporary, “At the End of the Century: 100 Years of Architecture,” before retiring as director of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art to take over the reins of Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design. Gloria Renwick was chairwoman of the luncheon that followed at the California Club. . . . Peter Hemmings, retiring general director of the L.A. Opera, received an honorary doctor of fine arts degree from California State University.. . . . One of Hollywood’s new Metrorail stations was the setting for the third annual fund-raiser sponsored by the Hollywood Chamber Community Foundation to aid local charities. . . . Best Buddies, the organization founded by Anthony Kennedy Shriver to provide jobs for the developmentally disabled, raised $600,000 at its eighth annual benefit, at the Holmby Hills estate of Vicki and Jimmy Iovine. . . .

On June 2, the California Pacific School of Theology at UCLA presented honorary doctorates to singer Pat Boone, Central African Republic President Ange Felix Patasse and talk show host Warren Duffy. . . . Sybil Brand was presented with the 2000 Award of Distinction by the YWCA of the San Gabriel Valley at its 16th annual Women of Achievement Awards luncheon. . . . The UCLA Center on Aging recently raised more than $225,000 at its fourth ICON Award event honoring Art Linkletter. . . .

The seventh biennial “L.A. Alive” to benefit the Performing Arts Center of L.A. County raised nearly $1 million. Joy Fein, Debbi Lanni and Carolyn Miller were co-chairwomen of the evening June 3 at Ron Burkle’s historic estate in Beverly Hills. . . . Also that day, the Victory Guild’s Cattle Baron’s Ball at Middle Ranch in Lake View Terrace rustled up more than $130,000 for the American Cancer Society. . . . Foothill Family Service’s Summer Safari XI raised more than $130,000. . . . Barbara and Garry Marshall were chairmen of the second annual Women’s Care Cottage’s Monte Carlo Night at Westwood’s Regency Club, which raised $82,000 for homeless women and children in the greater L.A. area. . . .

Former “Golden Girl” Betty White emceed the first fund-raiser sponsored by the Los Angeles Unit of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic on June 4 at the historic Bullocks Wilshire building. Seven blind or disabled high school students were honored for their scholastic achievement: Scott Barron, David Haas, Tiffany Nicole Washington, Scott Garey, Amanda Goldman, Laura Ann Wilton and Seth Michael Pace. Anne Heineman, a volunteer for 36 years and the Karl Kirchgessner Foundation were also honored for their support. . . . Also that day, more than $50,000 was raised at the first Cedars-Sinai Steven S. Cohen Heart-a-thon at the Mid Valley Athletic Club in Reseda. . . . John Lithgow hosted the seventh annual entertainment industry tennis open at the Riviera Tennis Club in Palos Verdes benefiting the T.J. Martell Foundation and the Neil Bogart Memorial Fund for Cancer, Leukemia and AIDS research. . . .

The movie memorabilia auction staged at Santa Monica’s Casa del Mar Hotel on June 5 raised more than $250,000. Proceeds from the event, sponsored by American Movie Classics, will benefit the Film Foundation for the preservation of motion picture film. . . . California first lady Sharon Davis, Edward James Olmos, Danny Glover and Michael Milken were honored June 6 by Youth Enternet of America. The event, at the Shrine Auditorium, raised more than $600,000 for 11 children’s charities. . . . Beau Bridges, Tim Leiweke, Terry Bradshaw, Pepe Barreto, Jim Ellis and Ray Klauer were honored by the Father’s Day Council of Los Angeles at its annual awards dinner at Beverly Hills Hotel on June 8. The group, in its 17th year, has contributed more than $3.5 million to diabetes research. . . . Also that day, members of the Pasadena Foundation awarded $500,000 in grants to community organizations at their annual dinner at the Annandale Golf Club. . . .

The Wells Fargo Foundation, Target Stores and chef Joachim Splichal and his wife, Christine, were the guests of honor at the Pacific Asia Museum’s fifth annual birthday bash June 9. . . .

Sidney Poitier was the honoree at the 14th annual Los Angeles Education Awards sponsored by the Fulfillment Fund and KTLA charities June 10 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Two hundred $5,000 scholarships for college education were presented to students, nearly all of whom will be the first in their family to enter college. . . .

The 2000 Charity Ball, sponsored by the Children’s Circle of St. Francis Medical Center Foundation, raised more than $300,000 at its annual black-tie dinner June 10 at the Long Beach Hilton. . . . On the same day, Rafer Johnson presided over Las Vegas Casino Night at CBS Studios in Studio City, which raised nearly $40,000 for the Southern California chapter of the Scleroderma Research Foundation. . . .

The gardens of Betty Deutsch’s Beverly Hills home were the setting for a reception and art sale June 11 to benefit the Southern California Council of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. . . . Olympic gold-medal figure skater Scott Hamilton received a courage award at the fourth annual Catch the Dream dinner sponsored by the Bob Chandler Foundation to fund a scholarship in Chandler’s name at USC. . . .

The fifth annual LA’s BEST Family Brunch honored DreamWorks Animation Studio and 15 of LA’s BEST students and their families June 11. Kevin Spacey presented DreamWorks with the Focus on Family Award for its sponsorship of after-school animation workshops for kids. . . . Also that day, renowned jockeys Willie Shoemaker and Eddie Delahoussaye were honored at Hollywood Park by the Israel Cancer Research Fund, which supports the Patty Franklin Fellowship for Breast Cancer Research. . . . The Stroke Assn. of Southern California raised nearly $150,000 at its Our Field of Dreams event at UCLA. . . .

For their commitment to social justice, Norman Jewison, Culture Clash, Katrina vanden Heuvel and Madeline Janis Aparico were honored by Liberty Hill Foundation at its 18th annual Upton Sinclair Dinner on June 13 at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. . . . Also that day, Carole Black of Lifetime Entertainment, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and his wife, and Tim Noonan of Lockton Insurance Brokers were honored at the H.E.L.P. Group’s 23rd annual Friends Forever Spring Luncheon at the Beverly Hilton. Nearly $200,000 was raised for children’s services in California. . . .

The sixth annual Una Noche de Honor on June 15 at the Regal Biltmore to benefit the American Diabetes Assn.’s Latino Outreach paid tribute to Dr. Aliza Lifshitz, Gustavo Valdespino and Rick Badger. . . .

The Santa Marta Hospital Foundation presented its Life Spirit Award to Alfred A. Plamann on June 16 at the Regent Beverly Wilshire. The black-tie gala grossed $250,000 for medical services for the needy in East Los Angeles. . . .

Nearly 1,000 guests filled L.A.’s favorite animal house, the L.A. Zoo, for the 30th annual Beastly Ball on June 17. Mary Grigsby Urquhart, who’s hanging up her topee after six years as ball chairwoman, went out with a roar, raising nearly $545,000. . . .

The Friends of the Los Angeles Free clinic raised more than $200,000 at its fifth annual Classic Golf Tournament on June 19 at the Riviera Country Club. . . . Also that day, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles’ Real Estate & Construction Division honored Arden Realty’s chairman Richard S. Ziman at the Regent Beverly Wilshire. The event raised more than $1 million for the United Jewish Fund. . . .

Singers Nancy Wilson and Rosalyn Smith-Clark, actors Angela Bassett, Courtney B. Vance, CCH Pounder, Meshach Taylor, Akosua Busia, Kim Fields, Wren T. Brown and Pauletta Washington helped raise $23,000 on June 23 for the West Angeles Counseling Center’s annual benefit. . . . Also that day, R&B; crooner Eric Benet headlined KJLH-FM’s (102.3) Black Music Month Extravaganza on June 23 at the Hollywood Palladium to benefit Peace Colors, a grass-roots youth organization to prevent violence. . . .

The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach raised $250,000 at its first Ocean Conservation Awards Gala on June 24. For their lasting contributions to the environment, the awardees were Dr. Bruce Mate, marine scientist; Yvon Chouinard, CEO of Patagonia; and the late Lloyd Bridges, star of the TV series “Sea Hunt.” . . .

Britain’s Consul General Paul Dimond and his wife, Carolyn, hosted a benefit garden party at their Hancock Park home June 25 to honor recipients of the 2000 “Spirit of L.A.” scholarship project, which funds a 10-day exchange visit by youth from Northern Ireland. . . . Also that day, the Will Rogers Polo Club held its sixth annual Polo in the Park tournament to benefit the Hemophilia Foundation of Southern California. . . .