The Crowd: A noble ACT by major-leaguers
Autism attracts considerable concern as diagnoses reach proportions never before experienced by the American public. Experts in the medical field have continued to debate its origins as parents struggle to find answers to help their children.
On Jan. 13 in Orange County, an organization called the Eddie Guardado Foundation joined forces with Autism Care and Treatment Today (ACT Today) in taking over the Bowlmor Lanes bowling alley in Anaheim.
The event was the 4th annual Stars and Strikes Celebrity Bowling Tournament, named for the former All-Star Major League baseball pitcher Eddie Guardado. He will soon join the Minnesota Twins as one of their coaches.
The baseball great attracted a huge turnout of celebrities bowling for ACT Today. Among the glitterati were Josh Hamilton, five-time All-Star with the Angels, along with other Angels including Garret Anderson, pitcher Jered Weaver and retired pitcher Chuck Finley. Also front and center for ACT Today were Costa Mesa’s volleyball star Misty May-Treanor, three-time Olympic gold medalist; Stan Frazier, drummer for the band Sugar Ray and co-owner of A Restaurant Newport Beach; and a host of additional sports celebrities, including Adrian Beltre from the Texas Rangers, Marion Byrd from the Cincinnati Reds and Torii Hunter from the Minnesota Twins.
Organizers of the event, including Eddie and Lisa Guardado, expect to raise upwards of $200,000 from a field of more than 120 bowling donors and more than 30 celebrity athletes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 68 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, making the condition more prevalent than juvenile diabetes, pediatric cancer and childhood AIDS combined. Funds raised at the bowling event will be earmarked for grants to more than 50 families in Southern California dealing with the myriad expenses associated with the needs of children with autism.
To learn more, go to https://www.eddieguardadofoundation.org or https://www.act-today.org.
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Throwing the dice for OC youth
The Orangewood Children’s Foundation sponsored its annual evening with the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 31 and created a party built around a Roaring Twenties Gatsby theme.
The 2014 Anaheim Ducks Jubilee was underwritten and presented by the Klein family, Bill and Jenny Klein and daughter Whitney. Ryan Getzlaf, captain of the Ducks, was supported by an impressive turnout of players including Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler, Freddy Andersen, Cam Fowler and Francois Beauchemin. Coach Bruce Boudreau mingled with Ducks VIPs Henry and Susan Samueli, Michael Schulman, Tim Ryan and Bob Murray.
The Roaring Twenties theme was mixed with the traditional casino night fun and executed with style by event co-chairs Kelly Bozza and Stacey Kinney. The fundraising effort is made possible by the Orangewood Auxiliary 44 Women for Children, founded some years ago by Susan Samueli. 44 Women for Children committee members included Carey Clawson, Hope Dorsey, Lupe Erwin, Karen Gunther, Judy Nicholls, Jennifer Martin, Tanya Von Mittenwald and Kandy Williams.
Catered by 24 Carrots, the crowd dined at buffet stations that offered grilled petite lamp chops, beef tenderloin crostini, shrimp cocktails, a mashed potato martini station with all the trimmings and a prime rib carving station. The Orangewood Children’s Foundation is one of the leading providers of services to current and former foster youth. To learn more, go to https://www.orangewoodfoundation.org.
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Broadway bound from Newport Beach
The Musical Theater Academy of Orange County, headquartered in Newport Beach, presented a performance of “Les Miserables” in January at the Rose Center Theater in Westminster. Many of the cast members who participate in the Musical Theater Academy are students in Newport-Mesa schools along with young actors and musicians from other areas of Orange County, including participants from the Orange County School of the Arts.
Under the artistic direction of Jimmy Hippenstiel and Deb Matthews, the cast members included students ages 12 to 18. The future Broadway stars included Jonathan Haidl, Alex Ortiz, Alexis Sawyer, Shanna Brajevic, Gracie Lacey, Mack Hubbard, Garrett McQuaid, Aaron Griffin, Evan Troutt, Sara Teeter and Anysa Wilson. The performers were backed up by a 14-piece orchestra made up of students from the Orange County School of the Arts’ Instrumental Music Program.
Janice Lee, executive director of the academy, reports that the nonprofit organization for children has been providing artistic instruction for more than 30 years in the community. Its upcoming roster includes productions of “Jungle Book,” “Snow White” and “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” To learn more about the Musical Theater Academy, visit https://www.mtaoc.org.
THE CROWD runs Fridays. B.W. Cook is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.
