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1 . Jessica and Dakota Duran with Wish Kid Xayden 2 . Gloria Jetter Crockett and David Crockett , Joel and Sandy Sprague 3 . Carie Jernquist-Ferry and Anthony Ferry
AN EVENING IN MONACO
The more than 300 guests at Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire ’ s fall gala , An Evening in Monaco , witnessed a bit of magic as the nonprofit granted its 8,000th wish . The event , held Oct . 21 at Balboa Bay Resort , highlighted 10-year-old Xayden , who has been fighting leukemia and was granted his wish for a puppy at the gala , giving supporters a chance to learn more about how the wish program works . Inspired by the small European country of Monaco , the evening also featured a welcoming cocktail hour with music from Shane the DJ , a Wish Kid who procured his professional equipment through the organization . This was followed by dinner and a program with Linda Pauling , who shared the story about how her son , Chris Grecious , inspired the creation of the Make-A-Wish organization with his desire to be a police officer for a day . A pair of floral earrings from Lugano Diamonds were also auctioned off and guests bid on auction items like a Mexico City vacation , sports tickets and an Yves Saint Laurent handbag , with the gala netting more than $ 800,000 overall for local wishes . ( wish . org / ocie ) — A . R .
CANDLELIGHT CONCERT
Five-time Grammy Award-winning singer Michael Bublé headlined the 49th annual Candlelight Concert , which raised $ 5.3 million for Segerstrom Center for the Arts to benefit the nonprofit ’ s artistic , education and community initiatives . The Dec . 1 event , attended by more than 500 supporters at Segerstrom Hall , began with a cocktail reception with hors d ’ oeuvres , Champagne and photo opportunity that transformed guests to look like art inside frames . Then , attendees moved into the auditorium for Bublé ’ s much-awaited performance . The night before , Bublé had presented a vocal Masterclass for aspiring teenage singers from underserved local schools ; the students were selected through an audition process in the fall . A video of the Masterclass was shown before Bublé ’ s concert , then the curtains went up on stage to reveal a polished supper club complete with 20-foot swaths of floral wallpaper , rich indigo blue tones and silver pendant lights . Guests made their way onto the stage for a four-course dinner followed by dancing to the Viva Band . A Coffee and Conversation lounge in the Plaza Level Lobby offered a more relaxed option as well . Upon leaving the event , guests received late-night bites from The Burnt Truck and gifts from Lugano Diamonds . ( scfta . org ) — S . S . NBM
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1 . Reveal light show 2 . Michael Bublé 3 . Cindy Halford , Ethan Morgan , Elizabeth Segerstrom , Casey and Naomi Reitz 4 . Tim Strader , Molly Jolly , Susan Strader 5 . Keith and Mara Murray , Lisa Bhathal Merage and Richard Merage , Sophia Hamidi , Vaughn Vogel 6 . Larry and Dee Higby , Betty and SL Huang
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TOP SECTION : CHRISTIAN THOMPSON / GLAMOROUS LIVING KIDS 2023 ; BOTTOM SECTION , CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT : BEN LIEBENBERG ; TIFFANY ROSE ; GARY PAYNE ; OWEN SCARLETT ; CHERYL MANN ; CARLA RHEA
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