Make-A-Wish Raises Funds at Bel-Air Bay Club Event

Palisadians were part of the fun when Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles held its 16th annual food- and wine-tasting event on Sunday, August 9 at the Bel-Air Bay Club above Pacific Coast Highway. Some 650 attendees were treated to generous samples created by California wineries and gourmet restaurants at ‘Uncork A Wish,’ with proceeds helping Make-A-Wish grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Laurie Kaman, a Palisadian and television advertising executive who is on Make-A-Wish’s board of directors, has been participating in the organization’s fundraising for two decades. ‘This is our first year at the Bel-Air Bay Club and the first time we’ve held this event on a Sunday,’ Kaman said. ‘This was an opportunity to change it up in a changing economy.’ Organizers said the event raised close to $200,000. Kaman’s friend and fellow Palisdian Kathy Barnes, founder of the chocolate enterprise Coco Fix, has been taking part in ‘Uncork’ for five years. The pair fondly recalled Yveline, an 8-year-old Haitian girl dying from a brain tumor whom they afforded a week-long trip to Disneyworld with a $5,000 donation. Make-A-Wish raises $3.5 million annually in Southern California and grants more than 300 wishes to kids in Los Angeles County, ranging from trips to visit out-of-state relatives to shopping sprees and Sweet 16 and quincea’era parties. Auction items included artwork from Make-A-Wish children, V.I.P. tickets to ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’ a walk-on role on the Steven Spielberg-produced Showtime program ‘United States of Tara,’ vacation packages to Africa and Aruba, and a one-on-one visit with superstar Laker Kobe Bryant (which went for a seemingly cheap $2,000 to the highest bidder). Strolling around the classy, venerable Bay Club (a Palisades fixture since the late 1920s), one could enjoy an endless selection of gourmet food and fine wine. Yet arguably the most popular restaurateur represented was Pink’s, the venerable West Hollywood stand known for such signature hot dogs as the Guadalajara Dog and the Lord of the Rings. Lo and behold, wearing her signature pink blazer and accessorizing with a pink Nokia, was Gloria Pink, co-owner of the La Brea-and-Melrose landmark. Pink was joined by husband (and Pink’s co-owner) Richard Pink, and Richard’s sister, Beverly Pink Wolfe. ‘We call it ‘chili dogs for charity,” Richard said of Pink’s donation to the event. The Pink family also expressed their excitement about November 7, when comedian Bill Cosby, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and KCET personality Huell Howser will celebrate Pink’s 70th anniversary. ‘He calls it the ‘Howser Bowser,” Gloria Pink said of the latter’s nickname for the Huell Dog, a tortilla-wrapped double dog at Pink’s. Guest Ken Davitian, the heavy-set character actor best known for his roles in the hit movies ‘Borat’ (including the infamous nude wrestling scene) and ‘Get Smart,’ was in good spirits. ‘I have two children,’ Davitian told the Palisadian-Post, ‘one of whom was diagnosed at birth with a disease but is now terrific. So I have a soft space in my heart for kids.’ The Armenian-American actor added that he is also involved in St. Jude Hospital and like-minded Armenian organizations. Patricia Rubio, a Palisadian by way of Chicago who had bid on several items, said she exercised all morning before attending ‘Uncork.’ ‘I’ve been eating my way through this event,’ she said, laughing. Rubio told the Post that her support was personal, as the Foundation had granted her niece, Alexandria, a Disneyworld trip. ‘She was a year-and-a-half when they found a brain tumor,’ Rubio said. ‘She was in and out of chemotherapy until she was three.’ But that was a decade ago. Today, Alexandra is 14, leading a normal, healthy, cancer-free life. ‘When everything is going wrong and things appear dark,’ Rubio said, ‘Make-A-Wish gives them a little joy and hope.’