Cathedral City Senior Center gala, Jody Watley hit all the right notes – Desert Sun
It was the first of November, and the crowd was ready for A Night to Remember, a gala benefiting the Cathedral City Senior Center (CCSC) at Agua Caliente Rancho Mirage. Dressed in their finest attire, the men and women in attendance enjoyed cocktails, laughter and conversation until the chimes announced the beginning of the program.
Event emcee, KESQ anchor and three-time Emmy Award winner Peter Daut welcomed guests and thanked them — first in English and then in Spanish, echoing the “motivo de la celebración de la tarde.”
Daut then recognized local dignitaries and city officials and thanked the sponsors who made the event possible, including presenting sponsors Steve Tobin and Johnny Krupa of The Grace Helen Spearman Charitable Foundation; entertainment sponsors David Mizener, Arturo Carrillo and Contractors State Licensing Schools and Construction Insurance; honorees sponsor Dirk Tacke; premier sponsors Raju and Jaishri Mehta of El Paseo Jewelers; production sponsors The Carvalho-Kaplan Trust; table sponsors Desert Oasis Healthcare; Family Hospice Care; Jim Neuman; The Roost Foundation; Suncrest Home Services and Suncrest Hospice Care; Tim Wood and Jim Scheibel; the City of Cathedral City; Chuck Leachman and Mickey Feigelson; bid paddle sponsor Senior Living Options of the Desert; lead media sponsor KESQ and media partners KGAY, Gay Desert Guide and The Desert Sun.
Daut then introduced CCSC’s CEO Geoff Corbin and COO Vic Ide, who thanked gala chair Sue Townsley, board chair Luz Gonzalez, and the CCSC board of directors.
Corbin outlined plans to triple the breadth of CCSC’s nutrition programs and rise up to meet Coachella Valley’s changing needs to become “a 21st century community center for active living.” He explained that proceeds from the evening’s event would go towards more bilingual programming, an even bigger food bank and aid in the much-needed relocation for the rapidly expanding center.
Located in a city where 56.7% of the population speaks Spanish, Corbin recognized that the center was under-serving half of its population. With the advent of the Edmundo & Herlinda Carrillo Equity in Aging Initiative, CCSC has been able to add more activities for Spanish speakers as well as community outreach, which has resulted in a 35% increase in foot traffic through the organization’s doors.
The first of CCSC’s Community Impact Awards went to Mizener and Carrillo, who established the Edmundo & Herlinda Carrillo Equity in Aging Initiative. Not only generous to CCSC, Mizner and Carrillo support more than 20 different charities, many of them benefiting the valley.
Leachman and Feigelson, founders of CCSC’s Cactus Club, a dynamic group of individuals supporting CCSC’s mission through sustained giving, were also honored. Great friends to the valley and to CCSC, Leachman and Feigelson have opened their home for fundraisers and are involved in various aspects of CCSC, from holding leadership positions to delivering meals.
A spirited live auction led by auctioneer Dale Johannes was followed by a surprise announcement that CCSC’s nutrition program would be renamed The Jim Scheibel and Tim Wood Food and Humanity Center in honor of the couple who have done so much to alleviate local food insecurity.
Seen in the sold-out crowd were Desert Healthcare District CEO Dr. Conrado Barzaga and wife Melinda Cordero-Barzaga; Cathedral City Mayor Ernesto Gutierrez; Palm Desert Mayor Jan Harnik; KESQ’s Jerry Upham and host of Desert Chat, Sandie Newton; restaurateur Willie Rhine and Albert Gonzalez; Dr. Cullen Averill and Jonathan Wynne; and Paul Clowers and Ellen Wolf of The Development Department.
And when Grammy-winning performer Jody Watley took the stage, the crowd had no choice but to hit the dance floor. The singer performed her biggest hits of the 1980s, including “Looking for a New Love,” “Still a Thrill” and “Most of All” and interacted freely with the audience.
When the event, produced by Frank Goldstin and Momentous, ended, spirits were high, the center was flush with generous donations and hearts were full.
For more information about the Cathedral City Senior Center or to make a donation, visit theccsc.org.
Kay Kudukis has written for a number of local publications, including Palm Springs Life, Me Yah Whae, R/M: The Magazine of Rancho Mirage, Broadway World and the official Modernism Week program.