On Sunday, September 21st, Wells Bring Hope’s founder and president Barbara Goldberg welcomed guests to the Club Room at Bel Air Crest. The theme was “Denim & Diamonds,” and the event featured music by Ted Kamp & Friends. With its cushy chairs and elegant décor, the lounge had a relaxed, laidback feel.
With perfect weather once again, guests enjoyed the expansive outdoor terrace that overlooked the hills of Bel Air. The terrace was filled with auction tables, offering plenty of enticing things to buy, all donated by the Board, friends of WBH, and generous corporate partners. Enjoying the festivities were several of our event sponsors Greg and Becky Rang from Lido Wealth Management, along with Patricia Vick, Leslee Greathead and Marsha and Mark Hierbaum.
The bar featured three enticing drinks to carry out our theme: “Buckin’ Broncho,” “Bling It On,” and “Wicked Wild West.” They were mixed to perfection by bartenders, Darin and Kim. Red and white wines were once again donated by Le Vigne Winery. Guests nibbled on delicious food from Edible 360. The many delicious bites included Hopalong Cassidy’s Brisket Sliders and the Annie Oakley’s BBQ Flank Steak Skewers.
With many newcomers in attendance, Founder and President, Barbara Goldberg told guests about our cause and what makes it worthy of their support, and she debuted WBH’s latest video, which touches on the organization’s expansion into Mali.
Our honoree this year was Firouzeh Banki, who was inspired by Gil Garcetti back in 2012 to spread the story of the water crisis in West Africa. Some of the people who came had a profound influence on the growth of Wells Bring Hope, including the Hierbaums, Mandana and Alan Azad and the Fillipini’s, owners of Le Vigne Winery.
Auctioneer extraordinaire, Mark Shustrin, began his very lively, action-packed appeal in an effort to separate guests from their money! He kicked it off by auctioning a glass of water!!
Guests got the chance to bid on some exciting travel packages including trips to Belize, New York: City & Country, and the White Stallion Ranch. Mark’s enthusiasm and energy spurred donors on! The evening climaxed with a Last Paddle Battle, and the lucky winner is looking forward to a two-night stay at Two Bunch Palms!
We could not have had such a successful event without our incredible group of volunteers who did everything from setting up our fun photo station to checking guests in at registration and running the auction tables.
We were especially fortunate to once again have Ms. McFayden, Ms. Leon and their amazing group of scholars from Odyssey STEM Academy’s Tree Huggers club. Despite it being a school night, this group of teachers and students arrived early and stayed until long after the last guest had left. We absolutely could not have done it without them!
Special thanks as well to Marsha and Mark Hierbaum who got us the beautiful venue and to Eduardo who did a magnificent job on the floral arrangements as always. We were also happy to have once again had Peggy Kelly of Timeless Celebrations orchestrating it all for us! Thanks also to our incredible photographer Tatsu, who captured it all!
Thanks to all who came to support our effort to save lives with safe water, particularly our hard-working Board of Directors!
