The Crowd

B.W. Cook

More than 400 local women joined together to make a difference in society

at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Irvine this past week for the annual “Women’s

Voices” luncheon sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Orange County.

Corona del Mar’s Lois Jacobs served as co-chair of the countywide effort.

Jacobs was assisted by Donna Weinstein, fellow Corona del Mar resident

and president of the Women’s Division of the federation.

Also on hand for the luncheon were Newport’s Lisa Lobel, Cameron Allen,

Cecelia Goodman, Jodi Greenbaum, Jacque Lipson, Miki Sholkoff and Laura

Udkoff.

The event was centered around the compelling stories of guest lecturer

and author Cara De Silva. Her work, “In Memory’s Kitchen: A Legacy from

the Women of Terezin,” is a collection of recipes, poems and letters

handwritten by women interned in a Czechoslovakian concentration camp

during World War II.

“People in the camps were obsessed with food and talked about it

constantly not only because they were starving, but also as a way to help

themselves remain human,” De Silva said.

In the large crowd was Orange County resident Kathy Rubin, who was a

prisoner at Terezin when she was a young girl. Funds raised at the $45

per person luncheon will support Jewish Community services in Orange

County.

The Junior League of Orange County, in cooperation with the Orangewood

Children’s Foundation, announced this past week plans for a third annual

“Own My Own” business mentor breakfast to be held next March 23 at the

Pacific Club, Newport Beach.

The program is meant to inform, inspire and assist foster children by

matching them with local mentors in the business community, with the goal

of providing guidance and hope.

The relationships established are far from casual. Volunteer mentors

spend a minimum of two to three hours each week for a year with a young

person. It makes a real difference in the lives of children and young

adults in this community.

For more information, call Nicole Marshall at (949) 263-0442.

On the gentlemen’s side of the social spectrum, Newport’s own Paul Salata

will join Deacon Jones, Pro Football Hall of Famer, as the National

Football League Alumni of the Greater Los Angeles region honors the

sportsmen in La Jolla on April 7.

The $125 per person dinner will take place at the Hilton Hotel, La Jolla

at Torrey Pines, and funds raised will benefit NFL charities that focus

on youth-oriented causes.

The NFL Alumni advances its motto of “Caring For Kids” all across the

nation from its Fort Lauderdale, Fla., headquarters to some 30 chapters

nationwide, including Southern California.

Gents involved in the NFL Alumni are John Amberg, president, Jack

Faulkner, vice president for the Orange County region, as well as overall

director of the “dire need” program for the NFL charities.

Also involved are John Baker, Sam Boghosian, Ricky Ellis, Vince

Ferragamo, Skip Giancanelli, Karl Giesler, Bob Schremp, Charles Powell,

John William Perry, Maury Nipp and Rex Johnston, to name a few.

Paul Salata, well-known in the Newport-Mesa community, is the

father/founder of “Irrelevant Week,” a yearly extravaganza that honors

the last player selected in the NFL draft. The event, staged since 1976,

has become a nationally recognized element of the draft.

Salata, the second boy in a family of seven sons, was awarded a football

scholarship to USC. He ended up playing in two Rose Bowls for the

Cardinal and Gold before turning pro after graduation in 1949. Salata

then went on to play ball for the San Francisco 49ers, the Baltimore

Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers and the CFL before retiring in 1953 to go into

the real estate and construction business. Today Salata is head of G.A.S.

Investments, and he devotes much of his schedule to philanthropic duties,

including the NFL charities.

To participate in the tribute, call John Amberg at (310) 787-1573.

Barbara Barrie, the talented actress who plays Brook Shields’ grandmother

on NBC’s comedy “Suddenly Susan,” will appear as the special guest of

Hoag’s Circle 1000 at the 13th annual Founders Brunch on May 3 at the

Four Seasons Hotel, Newport Beach.

Barrie, diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 1994, has survived three

operations, chemotherapy and radiation treatment. While surviving the

cancer, she has been left with a permanent colostomy.

“I wasn’t ready or willing to give up one day of my life,” said Barrie,

who continues to work, exercise and live her life as an actress, wife and

mother.

The Oscar-nominated actress will address the Newport crowd with her very

personal story under the direction of Circle 1000 chair Hyla Bertea.

Founded in 1987 by Newport’s Sandy Sewell, Circle 1000 has raised close

to $4 million in its 13-year history.

For more information, call (949) 574-7204.B.W. COOK’S column appears

every Thursday and Saturday.