AIDS Services Foundation Orange County (ASF) had hoped to raise $350,000 with its 30th anniversary gala celebration held in January. But with a little help from its friends, the evening netted nearly $440,000 for the county’s oldest and largest AIDS service organization.
Some 365 guests attended the red-carpet event at Tustin’s Marconi Automotive Museum. During the well-stocked cocktail hour guests perused the live and silent auction items and planned their bidding strategies. Bruno Serato and the Anaheim White House provided the gourmet dinner, and Tito’s Handmade Vodka supplied a martini luge. Wandering magicians performed tableside to guests’ enjoyment and fascination. After dinner the Da Capo Players heated up the dance floor.
But behind the smiles was the awareness that the real reason for the evening was to honor the many individuals, corporations and foundations that stepped up to establish ASF. Before the first table was even sold, the event was fully underwritten, so all the money raised at the gala will directly fund services for people living with HIV in Orange County. In honoring those who helped the foundation, the many lives that were touched and saved by ASF over three decades were also celebrated.