B.W. COOK--The Crowd

More than 250 guests, many of them under the age of 30, rallied

last week to support Alzheimer’s disease research and patient support. It

was the fourth annual gathering for a group known as Team Extreme, made

up of mostly young, single professional people who care enough about the

ravages of Alzheimer’s to get involved.

While some of the members of the organization have personal reasons to

support Alzheimer’s causes--including caring for a parent, relative or

loved one who has the disease. Far more have no personal involvement

other than the desire to make a difference in a fight they know that to

date has no happy ending.

The Team Extremers--organized by Victoria Bonetti of Newport Beach,

Jacque DuPont and Becky Lomaka--chose a western theme for the affair

staged at the Crazy Horse Steakhouse, Irvine.

The Newport-Mesa crowd turned out in force, as happens with other

Alzheimer’s events, to raise funds and awareness concerning the

Alzheimer’s Helpline.

Linda Scheck, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Assn. of Orange

County, pointed out: “The Alzheimer’s Helpline is a vital resource for

families.

“The Helpline is, in many cases, the first contact for patients and

families, connecting them with free resources, emotional support and

education they will need to cope with the stages of Alzheimer’s disease,”

she said, adding, “There are nearly 50,000 Alzheimer’s patients in Orange

County. Alzheimer’s disease ranks as the fourth leading cause of death in

the United States.”

The Crazy Horse was transformed into a western casino with gaming,

dancing, an auction and plenty of great western cookin’ to please the

large crowd.

“It is so gratifying to witness so many young people focused on making

a difference for others,” Scheck added.

The association board President Loren Shook, also on hand for the fun,

said, “We are proud of this dedicated group of young professionals who

can come together to enjoy a great evening and also manage to change so

many lives.”

The $40-per-person tickets helped Team Extreme tally more than $20,000

from the evening for the Helpline.

In the crowd from Newport-Mesa were Victoria Bonetti’s family,

including Camille, Barry and Frank. Also attending were Beth Brady, Joe

and Mayra Calogrossi, Glenn Cashaba, Ernie Cisneros, Maureen Daley,

Denise David, Julie David, Judy Ebell, Jo Jo Guerin, Sarah Gunther, Dee

Hamann, Blake and Susie Hunnel, Christi Kao and Henry Ou, Michelle

Kellogg, Laurence Lewin, Brett Namath, Leslie Perovich, Mary Ann

Reynolds, Linda Robinson, Sarabjit Sandhu, Cathy Torre-Houghton, Steve

and Heidi Vandruff, and Lisa Zimmerer.

* B.W. COOK’S column appears every Thursday and Saturday.