Hosted By
The Eddie Guardado Foundation And ACT Today!
Newport
Beach, CA – Raising children with autism can be emotionally and financially
exhausting on families. At the inaugural
OC Suitcase Soiree, held on Friday, September 20 at the Lyon Air Museum, The
Eddie Guardado Foundation and ACT Today! raised over raised over $70,000, which
100% of net proceeds go to help pay for various therapies, safety devices, and
provide other support services, as well as iPads and more in order to help
families families impacted by autism.
Over
200 guests arrived for the evening, dressed ready to travel and checked in
their luggage before they sampled bites from food stations from nearly a dozen
of Orange County’s best eateries. While
guests mingled amongst the vintage airplanes and automobiles, they were served
cocktails from Ultimat Vodka “flight attendants” with vintage airline drink
carts and perused the silent auction items before the excitement of the live
auction began, when winners of the weekend getaways would later depart for
their trips directly from the party.
The
weekend grand prize winners were: Kerin
and Biff Comte, who won a private
chartered plane to Las Vegas; Cookie
Lin (Lee) and John Lin, who won a helicopter trip to Santa
Barbara; Gail and Scott Dunlop, the Executive Producer
and creator of the Real Housewives of Orange County, who won a chauffeur-driven
Rolls Royce to Beverly Hills for the weekend.
Lisa and Eddie Guardado, a former MLB relief
pitcher who was recently inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame,
co-hosted the event with Katie and Ryan
Dunlop. The event committee included
Jo Ashline, William Cernius, Trish
Coury, Laura Marroquin, Jennifer and J Ocana, Debbie Redmond, and Michelle Volner.
“We know first-hand what it means to raise a
child with autism. Our eight year old daughter, Ava, was diagnosed when she was
two,” said Eddie Guardado. “It is extremely
important for Lisa and me to help other families and we are so proud to have
been able to help over 300 families so far through our foundation.”
In
keeping with the travel theme, guests received a customized luggage tag that
was engraved with their name during the party. A photo booth with travel-themed props and
live music by Mark Wood Entertainment as guests danced added to the fun
atmosphere. Participating eateries
included: Bluewater Grill, Maggiano’s,
Newport Rib Company, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Pacific Club Catering, Sensitive
Sweets, Sweet Creations by Judy, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, The Winery, Zov’s Bistro, Addington
English ToffeeC and Cookies by Linda Bertch.
Silver
Sponsors of the event include: Western
National Group. Bronze Sponsors are Sandra
and David Stone and Family. In-kind Sponsors include: Reaction Audio Visual, West Coast Air, Ultimat Vodka, Anaheim
Helicopters, Matebele Limo.
Take Me Away Opportunity
Drawing Trips:
- First
Prize:
Private plane to Las Vegas for a fun filled weekend, returning Sunday!
Includes 2 nights in a suite at the Aria Hotel, limo service to and from
the airport. Dinner for two at Javiers and two tickets to Cirque Du
Soleil’s Zarkana.
- Second
Prize:
Private Helicopter to Santa Barbara for a relaxing weekend getaway.
Returning Sunday! Trip includes 2 nights at the Bacara in a luxurious room
with a fireplace, wine tasting experience and complimentary breakfast.
- Third
Prize:
Limo to Los Angeles for a quick getaway, returning Sunday! Includes 2
night stay in a Deluxe Room at Beverly Hills Hotel. Dinner Saturday night
and breakfast each day.
Live Auction Highlights:
- A private plane to beautiful Napa
Valley for a weekend of wine tasting. Includes 2 nights at the Meritage
Resort, a balloon ride for two, upgraded tasting for two at the Trinitas
Cellars and more!
- VIP backstage at The Today Show, with
a Tour of studio and meet and greet with Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker – Can
be for 4 to 5 people. You may use this package in conjunction with the
Today Show’s Summer Concert Series.
- Dinner for you and 3 friends with
Gretchen and Slade from OC Housewives and show creator Scott Dunlop at
Hanna’s Restaurant.
- Certified Admiral’s Cup Corum Men’s
Watch with 18K Rose Gold Titanium Case, 18K Rose Gold and Titanium
Bracelet.
ABOUT AUTISM
IN ORANGE COUNTY:
About 1 in 88 children in America have been identified with an
autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and Orange County in particular has an
unusually high prevalence of autism diagnoses, including statistics from 2011 that show we
have the highest autism rate in California. Further, recent numbers show
that more than 8,600 children in Orange County are being served by Special
Education departments in public schools.
ABOUT THE EDDIE GUARDADO FOUNDATION:
Major League All-Star Pitcher, Eddie Guardado and
his wife Lisa established The Eddie Guardado Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3)
in 2008 after their youngest child, Ava, was diagnosed with autism. Lisa and
Eddie understand the emotional and financial hardships families impacted with
autism experience and founded the Eddie Guardado Foundation to help other
families receive access to therapy and treatments that they could not otherwise
afford.
In
January 2011, The Eddie Guardado Foundation joined forces with ACT Today!
(Autism Care and Treatment Today!) by supporting
the direct service program at ACT Today!, as both non-profits share the
mission of providing awareness of and access to effective therapies for
children with autism. Since their partnership began, the Eddie Guardado
Foundation has enabled ACT Today! to provide an additional 100 grants to help
children with autism achieve their highest potential. Eddie Guardado Foundation, which supports the direct
service program of ACT Today! (Autism Care and Treatment Today!)
The organizations continue to collaborate
together with Eddie and Lisa serving on the ACT Today! board. www.eddieguardadofoundation.org
MEDIA CONTACT: TO MEDIA
CO. 949-722-8488
