Newport Beach Magazine: October/November 2017
Michelle Wulfestieg enjoying life to the fullest.
Photo by Andy Templeton.
Notes From the Editors
Everyone experiences trauma at some point in their lives, whether you go through it personally or have to watch someone else go through a difficult time—and I have seen too many people get stuck in a negative, self-deprecating mindset that only causes more harm. That’s why our interview with Michelle Wulfestieg (page 36) really hit home for me. She had her first stroke when she was only 11 years old, but she hasn’t let that hold her back from living in the moment and making a difference in the world. Our Q&A with her alone brought me to tears, and I’ve already gotten my hands on a copy of her memoir because I simply can’t get enough of her inspirational story.
Albert and Deidre Pujols | Photo by Kait McKay Photography
Out & About
Charity pursuits and coastal happenings
Heroes & Living Legends Gala
The first Heroes & Living Legends Gala, attended by more than 200 guests on July 17, raised $729,000 for Open Gate International, a nonprofit that provides vocational training, assistance with job placement and mentoring in life skills for vulnerable populations. The event was held at The Duke Hotel Newport Beach and hosted by the organization’s CEO and founder, Deidre Pujols, whose husband, Albert Pujols, is a baseball player for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
The gala consisted of a cocktail reception, interactive cooking productions that included food preparations by current and former students of Open Gate International’s culinary arts program, live music from Tenth Avenue North, fine dining and a live auction.
Some special guests in attendance included other Angels players, local celebrities Terry and Heather Dubrow, formerly of “The Real Housewives of Orange County” reality TV show; and Baseball Hall of Fame team manager Tony La Russa. Also during the event, a Hero Award was presented to Susan Kang Schroeder, chief of staff for the Orange County District Attorney’s office, for her work toward ending modern-day slavery. (opengateintl.org)
Sarah McElroy (right) with Hawken Miller, who lives
with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. | Photo by Shanda Venneau
Getzlaf Golf Shootout
The seventh annual Getzlaf Golf Shootout helped raise more than $546,000 for CureDuchenne, a Newport Beach-based nonprofit that funds research to find a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disease affecting one in every 5,000 boys; typically, patients are no longer able to walk by age 12 and don’t live beyond their mid-20s. Anaheim Ducks hockey team Capt. Ryan Getzlaf, and his wife, Paige, host the annual event, raising in excess of $2 million to benefit CureDuchenne over the years.
More than 500 people attended the MVP party at Time Nightclub in Costa Mesa on Sept. 8, where they were treated to cocktails, dinner, auctions and nightclub admission.
The golf tournament followed the next day at Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point. Highlights included food, drinks and giveaways from brands like TravisMathew men’s apparel as well as a $1 million hole-in-one contest. (cureduchenne.org)
Carl and Susan St.Clair | Photo by Andre Niesing
2017-18 Classical Opening Night Celebration & Concert
Pacific Symphony’s opening night celebration commenced the orchestra’s 39th season with a black-tie event held at the Westin South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa on Sept. 14. The Pacific Symphony’s board of directors hosted the event, during which 320 guests helped raise almost $200,000 to benefit the symphony’s artistic and educational programs.
Guests enjoyed the red-carpet treatment with a cocktail reception and lavish dinner of wild mushroom soup, crostini and Chilean sea bass. Following dinner, the evening continued at Segerstrom Center for the Arts with a musical performance by the orchestra. Symphony conductor Carl St.Clair led rousing pieces such as a heavy-metal inspired rendition of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and selections from Wagner’s “Die Walküre” featuring international opera star Greer Grimsley. Attendees then returned to the hotel, where the room had been transformed into a modern lounge with a jazz quartet and decadent desserts. (pacificsymphony.org)
Jan Turcotte and her chair design | Photo by Impact Imaging by Stephanie Hil
Ebb & Flow
Keeping current on the coast
Art of Design
The Illumination Foundation hosted its second annual Art of Design fundraiser Oct. 7 in the Coldwell Banker Atrium in Newport Beach, raising more than $150,000 to benefit Children’s Resource Centers operated by the Irvine-based nonprofit organization. These centers have provided daily meals, after-school tutoring, counseling and behavioral health programs, as well as enrichment activities to more than 2,000 Orange County kids who fall below the poverty line. The foundation itself strives to end intergenerational and chronic homelessness in the county by facilitating these programs as well as providing emergency housing for families in need and employing individuals who have been homeless, with 39 percent of their staff meeting this description.
At the event, more than 250 guests were treated to a night filled with food, drinks and live music, plus both silent and live auctions—the latter of which was the main attraction, with 10 local interior designers donating custom seats created specifically for the event. The chairs represented each designer’s personal style and offered bidders a wide selection from a royal blue-and-gold nautical chair inspired by Newport Beach to a neutral gray-and-black, equestrian-themed chair inspired by the designer’s love for horses, and a bright pink-and-lime green, octopus-themed ottoman. This event combined creativity and charity for a fabulous evening enjoyed under the stars. (ifhomeless.org)
