Chance Supporters Went “All In” at our 2019 Gala, Vegas Baby!
This year, our Gala Committee (co-chaired by Bette Aitken and Guy W. Marr) raised the stakes on what a Chance Gala could be — and we all had a blast!
Some highlights from the night include:
- Artists and Patrons decked out to the 9’s!
We saw people dressed as showgirls, newly married brides and grooms, Elvis (at various stages of his life), and even a couple Siegfried & Roy’s. Everyone found a moment to pose for a photo with the King himself… or, rather, a statue that was loaned to us by Bette and Wylie Aitken for the event. - Rolling the dice, dealing the cards, and …. roulette-ing (?!) the ball
Chance Casino was back again, and everyone really dove into the spirit of the evening, with a slew of people (that’s right… a slew) taking their Chance Cash and playing for one of three special prizes. - Live Entertainment from the Chance Pack
Laura Hathanatra, Matt “I need another Drink” Martin, Monika Bavis Bunior, and…. a fourth guy whose name they could never remember (who was Joseph Bricklawford)… delighted us all with special performances from a different era. - A spirited tribute to a lost friend
Board Chair, Rachelle Menaker, did a tribute to a member of the Chance Family who we lost way too soon — Mary Kay Fyda-Mar. It was followed up by a performance of one of Mary Kay’s favorite songs that she used to catch herself singing in the middle of Trader Joe’s. And let’s just say… she definitely shouldn’t have been doing that. 😉 - What’s next, you ask?!
Founding Artistic Director Oanh Nguyen announced our 2020 Season. However, that news was only for the patrons in attendance. The official announcement will be made on September 20th! Following the announcement, one of the stars from Ragtime, Sarah Pierce, sang a song from the season’s opening musical, accompanied by the Chance Pack. - A deeper look into the impact of live theater
Education Director Karen O’Hanlon introduced two Teens Speak Up students to perform a (modified) piece from this year’s summer program, and had a parent of two of our Spectrum Speak Up students tell the story of the deep impact the program has had on her son and daughter. - Casey got tied up… and everyone had fun!
Somehow, Casey Long was tied up by Skinny De Foran, but was still allowed to join in the closing dance number. Then we wrapped up the whole event with Karaoke until midnight!
So many gracious Chance lovers gave so much of themselves in support of the Chance’s mission of creating a more compassionate, connected, and creative community!
A huge thank you to everyone who attended, to those who donated toward the event, and to those who donated an auction item or a bottle of wine! Your support made the evening a great success and will allow us to continue to serve our amazing community. See all their names after the gallery below.
If you couldn’t make it last Saturday, save-the-date and stay tuned for information about next year’s gala! Check out our gallery below, and join in the fun next year!
SPECIAL THANKS
Gala Chairs: Bette Aitken & Guy W. Marr
Gala Committee: Ashleigh Aitken, Robin Preiss Glasser, Lisa Keating, Rachelle Menaker, and Georgia Well
Entertainment Committee: Alex Bueno* and Laura M. Hathaway*
MAJOR SPONSORS
- High Roller’s Prime Table Sponsors:
- Bette & Wylie Aitken
- Steve Brown, Nexgen Pharma
- Guy W. Marr
- Georgia & Scott Well
- Gambler’s Premium Table Sponsors:
- Ashleigh Aitken & Michael Penn
- Disneyland Resort
- Robin Preiss Glasser & Robert Berman
- Andy & Judith Lamb and Terry & Michelle Schomburg
- The Family of Mary Kay Fyda-Mar
- Lisa C. & Thomas E. Zaradich, Jr.
- Major Underwriters:
- Table Wine – Bette & Wylie Aitken
- Catering – Sally Ann Catering
- Invitations – Robin Preiss Glasser
- Band – Ashleigh Aitken & Michael Penn
- Dessert – Jerry & Kim Goldstein
- Karaoke – Bob & Sue Crowson and Scott & Georgia Well
- Champagne – Doris Longmead and Dr. & Mrs. Rob & Audrey Greenfield
- Signature Cocktail – Guy W. Marr
Performers: Joseph Bricker, Rob Foran*, Laura M. Hathaway*, Casey Long*, Erika C. Miller*, Monika Pena*, Sarah Pierce, and Matt Takahashi
Musicians: Keyboard – Robyn Manion* Drums – Jeff Segal Bass – Jimmy Beall
Volunteers: Chance Resident Artists and Fellows, Jake Burnett, Emily Flosi, Bryce Hamilton, Jordan Jones, Judy Joss, Lola Kelly, Gavin Lattimer, Ryan Lloyd, Maddy Long, Susan Markoski, Chris Powers, Amanda Zarr, and Disney VoluntEARS
* Chance Theater Resident Artist
We apologize for any errors or omissions at the time of the blog posting.
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