Pete Coury with his daughter, Trish Coury, who is the event chair for the Orange County Gala and an ALSAC/St. Jude Leadership Council Board member.
The 13th Annual St. Jude Orange County Gala raised more than $300,000 for St. Jude this year, a record-breaking total for the event. The gala has raised more than $2 million for St. Jude since it began.
More than 200 guests were in attendance October 24 at The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in Dana Point, California, for the elegant, black-tie event. Actress Perrey Reeves of Entourage served as the event’s emcee and introduced a special talk by St. Jude patient Christian and his mother, Beth. Guests enjoyed a performance by singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc, who sang his hit song Wake Me Up during his musical set. Ernie Hernandez and his band also performed at the event.
The gala’s live auction featured items from the restaurant Bluewater Grill and the jewelry store Black Starr & Frost, among others. In addition, from October 25 to November 15, event partners GARY'S Men’s Clothing and Novecento Boutique donated 20 percent of the purchase price of any in-store item to the hospital when St. Jude was mentioned at checkout.
Distinguished guests included Steve McGarry and Michael Ramirez of the National Cartoonists Society. The event was hosted by the Orange County Gala committee, which is led by ALSAC/St. Jude Leadership Council Board member Trish Coury. The gala was sponsored by The Paradigm Group of Companies, and the accounting and business management firm of Nigro, Karlin, Segal, Feldstein & Bolno.