January 29, 2010

NEWPORT BEACH, CA – After the immediate relief aid is distributed to those reeling from the devastating 7.0 Haiti earthquake, what then? The January 12, 2010 earthquake crushed this tiny Caribbean island country, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, leaving approximately 3 million inhabitants in acute need of emergency aid. The world is responding with critically needed immediate aid, but the underlying problems Haiti faces will still need to be addressed. The children of Haiti need more than aid today; they need hope for the future. With 38% of the population under the age of 15, and a literacy rate of 45%, there is much to be done.

To answer this need, STYLE 2020 is hosting an Orange County Gala Fundraiser, to be held on the evening of Saturday, February 13, 2010 at the Island Hotel, Newport Beach, with a goal to raise an initial $1 million to fund a special new charity called the HAITI YOUTH RELIEF FUND, a fiscally sponsored project of Volunteer Center Orange County. The unique concept for the Haiti Youth Relief Fund is to assist in rehabilitating and rebuilding orphanages damaged in the earthquake and to develop a plan for orphanages and educational infrastructure, using the latest educational techniques, to lift Haitian youth to greater heights.

The organizers of the event are David and Kathryn Moore, who have dedicated their careers to education and seek to fill a significant need for Haiti’s children by investing in their future: through helping to rebuild damaged orphanages and re-establish the education system which will assist in stabilizing the country. David Moore is a pioneer in education as one of the five founding partners of Corinthian Colleges, one of the largest publicly traded post-secondary education companies in the United States. The Moores have established the Haiti Youth Relief Fund to be administered by the Volunteer Center Orange County, a highly respected organization known for stewardship of events and charitable trusts, and the proceeds will be distributed through grants to established relief organizations within Haiti.

According to Kathryn Moore, CEO of STYLE 2020, “While the world is responding with the much needed immediate aid including food, shelter and medicine, our approach is to help resolve some of the more systemic problems that keep Haiti at the bottom of the economic ladder. The future of Haiti lies with its youth, starting with its orphans. We want to rebuild and rehabilitate orphanages damaged in the quake and then educate Haitian youth to give them hope for the future. Education is the source of hope for a better life.”

Starting at 6:00 pm with a reception and dinner, the evening will include a Style Event, Silent Auction, Live Music and Dancing, and a Casino Lounge. An after-party will follow from 9:00 pm to 12:00 a.m. and special guests from the sports, music, and entertainment industries will be in attendance.

Tickets for the reception, dinner and after-party are $500 per person. After-party-only tickets are $100 per person. Tickets can be purchased from STYLE 2020 by calling 949.219.2383 or visiting the web at www.mystyle2020.com, to be picked up at the door. Contributions to the event will be tax deductible for either 2009 (provided they are made by February 28th) or 2010.

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STYLE 2020 is a personal service for men and women using professional stylists to discover, define and capture each client’s personal signature style to help them achieve the business and social goals they desire. Adjacent to Orange County’s prestigious Fashion Island, the studio offices are located at 888 San Clemente Drive, Suite 100, Newport Beach, CA 92660, 949.219.2360. www.mystyle2020.com

By B.W. Cook of Daily Pilot
Updated: Friday, March 5, 2010 9:53 PM PST

Despite mankind’s supreme technological advances, we are still at the mercy of Mother Nature. The recent magnitude 8.8 earthquake in Chile shocked an already horrified world reeling from the earlier disaster in Haiti.

Americans can be proud of the fact that both government agencies and private citizens have donated manpower, life-saving food, water and medical supplies and hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Haitian relief fund. We are now stepping forward to assist Chile as well.

Two weeks prior to the quake in Chile, concerned Newport-Mesa citizens gathered at The Island Hotel for a benefit organized by Kathryn Moore, chief executive of an organization called Style 20/20, which is headquartered in Newport Beach.

The event invited some 250 local guests with the goal of raising money to rebuild orphanages and educational infrastructure in Haiti. It was the first major dinner/fundraiser for Style 20/20 and raised a most impressive $500,000, which will benefit the Haiti Youth Relief Fund, a sponsored project of the Volunteer Center of Orange County.

The extremely large financial success was attributed to a number of local underwriters including Paul and Marybelle Musco, Michelle and David Horowitz, Paul and Nancy St. Pierre, Faribarz Maseeh, Tom and Joyce Tucker, State Sen. Mimi Walters and her husband, Dave Walters, and Bert and Debbie Ellis, who made a donation in honor of Stephanie Crispinelli, who died in the collapse of Hotel Montana in Haiti.

A major corporate sponsor was American Career College and an anonymous donor contributed $250,000, which raised the tally to the $500,000 mark.

The gala was put together in just three weeks following the Haitian disaster, produced by event organizers David and Kathryn Moore. David Moore is one of the founding partners of Corinthian Colleges, a publicly traded post-secondary education company. Moore was joined by Don Saulic, Dennis Beal and Dag Wilkinson in making the event a success.

The highlight of the party was a performance by Tami Saulic, surrounded by a gospel choir of 60 musicians performing Saulic’s new release titled “Radical Love.” Also entertaining the crowd were the renowned jazz performers Rick Braun, Jonathan Butler and Brenda Russell.

Patrons at the event, paying a minimum of $500 per person, enjoyed dinner, dancing, casino entertainment and the musical performance at The Island Hotel.

Social organizers take note: Party planners at this event also offered the crowd a $100 ticket. It admitted them to “after party” entertainment following dinner, which helped to raise additional funds for the cause from folks either not able or willing to pay the full ticket price, which included the dinner. It’s an interesting concept in these challenging economic times.

Despite the challenges, including the short notice in creating the event, the Moores deserve credit for pulling off a monumental task and raising an enormous amount of money for the Haiti Youth Relief Fund.

It is somewhat ironic that two weeks later Americans are faced with yet another world disaster in Chile.