Seacrest gala attendees live it up for a good cause

ENCINITAS, California – The Women’s Auxiliary of Seacrest Village Retirement Communities held its 37^th Annual Gala, “Emerald City” at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla last Saturday, February 21^st with Rusti Bartell Weiss serving as Gala Chair. The event was attended by more than 300 guests and raised over $425,000 to be used for the provision of charitable care for those residents who, many due to illness or injury, have exhausted their financial resources and for the purchase of 60 medical surgical beds for the skilled nursing and rehabilitation center.

Guests received a red carpet greeting at “Registration for Balloon Rides to Oz” and enjoyed cocktails and bluegrass music in a rustic setting reminiscent of Dorothy’s Kansas home. The Eve Selis Band inspired everyone to “Ease on Down the Road” for dinner seating in Emerald City complete with yellow brick road and light projections of flying monkeys on the walls.

The evening commenced with a warm welcome by Dan Cohen, Master of Ceremonies and Emmy Award winning Morning Anchor of CBS News 8 followed by greetings from Pam Ferris, President/CEO of Seacrest Village and Robert Haimsohn, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Women’s Auxiliary President, Mary Epsten thanked Rusti Bartell Weiss for serving as Gala Chair and having a “heart of gold.”

Guests enjoyed watching a brief video about the heart, courage and wisdom of Seacrest Village featuring interviews with Ferris, Haimsohn, staff and residents. The video outlined the Fund-a-Need Project to purchase specialized beds for the Joseph & Dorothy Goldberg Healthcare Center “in the great tradition of honoring our mothers and fathers…They gave us live, we return the kindness with our support.”

The evening continued with an exciting live auction conducted by Mark Drilling of Stokes Auction Group. A bidding frenzy occurred over the first item, a Baby Taylor acoustic guitar signed by James Taylor paired with four tickets to see Steely Dan in concert on April 19^th at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay. Highlights included a one week stay at any of the Welk Resorts, Dinner Party in the Private Wine Room of Pamplemousse Grille and a week for two at Rancho La Puerta. The auction concluded with a skit starring the Gala Chair as Dorothy and the Master of Ceremonies as the Wizard of Oz. Rusti Bartell Weiss/Dorothy gave her personal testimony as to why the nursing home residents need new beds and guests responded enthusiastically by raising their bid numbers.

Guests dined on delicious entrées of grilled filet of beef, grilled salmon or portobello mushroom vegetable napoleon. Following dinner, Cohen thanked guests and announced the goal was far surpassed to purchase all of the medical surgical beds and to provide additional funds for charitable care. Guests enjoyed miniature desserts served family-style and danced the night away to the Eve Selis Band.  It was truly an evening to remember filled with friends, fine food and funds raised dedicated to the residents at Seacrest Village Retirement Communities.

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Preceding provided by Seacrest Village Retirement Communities