The Crowd: Cirque du SPIN lives up to its big top name
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If you were ever one of the kids who dreamed of running away to join the circus, guests of the recent Serving People In Need (SPIN) gala fulfilled that childhood fantasy. Billed as Cirque du SPIN, the invitation beckoned the donor crowd to “dress for the circus; black and white or color, creativity, and costumes welcomed.”
Many adhered to the call, including SPIN’s ringmaster and chairman of the board, Curtis Sheetz, clad in a herringbone velvet and satin blazer over black shirt and tie. Sheetz escorted his platinum blond wife Jill Sheetz, who wore a black cocktail dress under a shimmering, iridescent dinner jacket. As the major SPIN benefactors, they joined SPIN executive director David Wetzel. He chose the “color” option advised on the invitation and wore an emerald green brocade dinner jacket. With his wife, Kathleen, he welcomed the arriving crush.
The Westin Hotel, South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, was the perfect setting for the circus magic to unfold. Arriving at dusk, guests gathered around an upper floor outdoor pool as stilt walkers, soaring 12-feet tall enchanted the cocktail crowd while an acrobat slipped into an enormous inflated clear bubble and began moving across the pool receiving waves of cheering and applause. Hotel staff passed gourmet bites of grilled and seasoned breaded artichokes, fresh ahi squares and individual charcuterie cones.
Bidding on the poolside silent auction items and catching up with one another were longtime devoted SPIN sponsors. Event chair Marylou Shattuck with her husband, Wayne Shattuck, greeted significant donors Dick and Kim Crawford, Frank and Peggy Listi, Dick and Rachel Owens, Maureen Flanagan and Craig and Katie Damagala. Also among the VIP donors were Charlie and Regina Granville, Al and Susan DeGrassi, Michael Gilmore, Gazat Pour-Moezi, Leslie McMaughton and O.C. Supervisor Katrina Foley.
Entering the Westin Big Top poolside as the early fall sunset took hold, the SPIN guests came upon special lighting of color-washed walls reaching upward to reveal a horizon of stars that illuminated the ceiling. In the middle of the long, oval-shaped tent, the Cirque stage was centered with all of the necessary acrobatic rigging portending what was to come.
All eyes were on the emcee, renowned chef Jamie Gwen, as she entered, attired in a Cinderella-style powder blue knit dress adorned with a diamond border on its plunging necklace. She was there to raise money for SPIN programs that fight homelessness in Orange County, principally by assisting families with children. And she did raise money. With a substantial matching gift from Curtis and Jill Sheetz, along with several other major gifts from longtime advocates, Gwen didn’t just match, she tripled the match.
SPIN guests clearly came to give. Inspired by an opening video address from a SPIN client sharing a personal story of survival, the tone was set and the crowd was generous.
Unquestionably, the highest level of generous appreciation came with the tributes and introduction of the annual SPIN honorees. Accepting the Jean Wegener Humanitarian Award was Debra Gunn Downing, creative director of marketing, South Coast Plaza, for her three decades of philanthropy in support of countless O.C. nonprofits, including SPIN. She attended the event with Charles Kanter, Michelle Tyree and Jewels Gunn. Her classy acceptance speech thanked SPIN for its dedication to helping the most vulnerable people in the county for more than four decades.
The SPIN Legacy Award followed, honoring the Croul Family Foundation, which was represented by Spencer and Susan Croul. Emcee Gwen shared that over some 20 years, the foundation has granted SPIN programs in excess of $300,000. Spencer Croul accepted the honors and in turn made a significant additional grant.
Dinner was served and, as dessert was placed before guests, lights dimmed and Cirque du SPIN took center stage, mesmerizing the tent full of donors with a dazzling performance of music, movement, acrobatic amazement and words of universal healing and unity spoken by the Cirque grand master.
Among those spotted in the crowd were Preston Antonini, vice president and general manger of Bloomingdale’s South Coast Plaza, Ron Salisbury, Heidi Miller, Diane Mondini, Kelly Bennett, Matt and Rebecca Lowe, Jim and Vicki Morris, Hal and Laura Reisiger, Jim and Laurie St. Pierre and Tom and Crystal Cook.
To learn more about the nonprofit, visit SPINOC.org.
