Kids reveal dreams at charity event
Variety, The Children’s Charity’s fund-raising events are noted for their high entertainment quotient. People are still talking about the recent DreamCatchers benefit. It kicked off with a classy benefactor Dinner Party for 94 and mini-auction ($36,000) at Meadow Brook Hall.
Two weeks later, the main event, which attracted 300-plus to the Townsend, was notable for Mickey Shapiro and Richard Gershensen’s Frick ‘n’ Frack tribute to honoree attorney Henry Baskin and Baskin’s teary acceptance speech. Doug Clark’s new Variety video, producer Rob Allen’s dramatic introduction of the youngsters who, under photographer Linda Solomon’s tutelage, photographed their hopes and dreams and last, but not least, singing piano player Michael Feinstein’s boffo, nightclub-style concert of popular classics all garnered enthusiastic applause. So did word that guests had pledged a total of $46,000 for scholarships for Variety kids.
The Sunday evening storm that inconvenienced thousands for days last month blew a sold-out crowd of 350 into the Townsend for Yatooma’s Foundation for the Kids’ Charity Gala. They dined, danced and bid $23,000-plus in the silent auction and $140,000-plus in the live auction. They also applauded sponsor Prototype System’s Jeff Feltrin, honoree Jimmy Hoffa, Michigan State University coaches and VIPs.
And even though the storm knocked out the power at Oakland Hills Country Club, the next day the crack club crew made the golf tournament memorable for the full field of players. The second annual two-day event raised nearly $700,000 to help the foundation ameliorate the consequences of a parent’s death. Attorney Norman Yatooma founded it in memory of his father, whose murder in a car-jacking incident profoundly affected his family.
In honor of Buick’s 50th anniversary and General Motors’ 100th anniversary, the Buick Open Charity Gala, which was chaired by Kay and GM’s Gary Cowger, moved from its previous site at Warwick Hills Country Club to General Motors headquarters. Some 400 cocktailed and bid in a silent auction in the GM Next exhibit before dinner and the live auction in the Winter Garden. The auctions raised more than $200,000. Most wrapped up the evening at Seldom Blues, where Gladys Knight entertained. Although final figures are still being calculated for the 2008 event, the Buick Open has raised more than $9 million for southeast Michigan charities since 1958.
Two hundred guests, including the Ken Bakers, Harold Dunns and Patrick McDonald, attended the Winston Canine Cancer Foundation benefit at Oakland Hills Country Club. Before dinner, they socialized and perused the silent auction. After dinner, the National Institute of Health Comparative Oncology division’s Christina Mazcko reported on the veterinary oncology research it funds at seven universities, including Michigan State. She noted there has been much success using the results to advance human cancer studies. The seventh annual event raised more than $30,000 for the foundation. It was founded by Mindy and Paul Dunbar and named for their dog, who died of cancer.
Kudos to real estate developer Jerry Shostak. He was honored by the Urban Land Institute Detroit Region for his work, his commitment to the community and his civic and charitable endeavors. More than 700 people, including friends, civic leaders and politicians, attended the ULI Lifetime Achievement Award Dinner at the Ritz-Carlton.
Kathy Martin and Julie Beals are chairing The Summer Social … A Tropical Evening Friday, July 25, at Orchard Lake Country Club. Call (248) 522-4412 about this lakeside fund-raiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs Women’s Association. Island cuisine, a cash tiki bar and sunset cruises are planned.
Marlene Bihlmeyer and Marie DeLuca are chairing DSO Decanted: A Wine Tasting and Auction Wednesday, July 30, at the Detroit Athletic Club. Call the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Volunteer Council office at (313) 576-5154.
Send ideas for this column to Sally Gerak, 28 Barbour Lane Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304, e-mail samgerak@aol.com or call (248) 646-6390.
