Puttin’ on a ritzy fundraiser

B.W. COOK

The Newport-Mesa crowd joined forces with South County senior

services to present the fourth annual “Captain’s Ball ... A Night of

Romance” at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Laguna Niguel.

The successful evening raised more than $100,000, attended by some

450 black-tie-clad guests celebrating Valentine’s eve and sharing

their love with Orange County elderly in need of support.

The affair honored three local advocates of elder care, Jacqueline

Dupont-Baum, Peter Bastone and Marilyn Ditty. Also honored and

recognized for services to seniors was the entire board of directors

of Leisure World. Funds raised are earmarked to support home delivery

services, which provide about 400,000 meals annually to more than

36,000 seniors in the community. In addition, the organization helps

with transportation needs for seniors and is responsible for

providing nutritional daily luncheons to nearly 115,000 seniors at

seven centers in Orange County.

It’s a major undertaking. Dupont-Baum, one of Newport-Mesa’s most

respected experts in the field of gerontology, said, “My father

instilled the notion that the elderly are to be respected at all

times.”

Attending the dinner in her honor with husband David Baum, a noted

media sales executive, Dupont-Baum shared a bit of her life’s purpose

and pursuit.

“I adored my late grandfather, a Greek immigrant who died of

Alzheimer’s in 1990,” Dupont-Baum said. “My brother Richard Lehn and

I opened Irvine Cottages, a residential care facility for Alzheimer’s

patients, and we instituted a special video monitoring system for

safety and to prevent abuse.”

The monitoring system has been covered by national media, bringing

more attention to the needs of Alzheimer’s patients.

The upbeat evening was chaired by Debra Alves and Ed Schrum. Local

star and emcee Ed Arnold was up front and center lending his talent,

and attending the affair with his bride Dixie. As the Bob Gail

Orchestra entertained, guests including Charles Little, Becky and

John Lomaka, Dennis and Dee Hamann, Heidi Shurtleff, and Dorothy

Visser, all dedicated elder care supporters, checked out the auction

items, which were later sold to the crowd by Arnold and Larry Zucker.

Also supporting the evening were Newport’s Lana Chandler, Arnold

Block, Leo Brennan, Don McCoy and Clarice and Richard Lehn.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.