Special to the Indy by OCSocialScene.com
PBS SoCaL celebrated education in Southern California at its 2013 “A Lifetime of Learning” Gala last month. Benefiting the station’s PBS educational outreach in the Orange County and Los Angeles area, the sixth-annual gala attracted more than 400Southern Californians to The Atlantic Aviation Hangar at John Wayne Airport to honor Patricia S. Harrison, President and CEO of Corporation for Public Broadcasting; Sesame Workshop represented by CEO H. Melvin Ming; and the 2012 PBS SoCaL Community Champions.
Special guest Mark L. Walberg from “Antiques Roadshow” welcomed guests, followed by “Real Orange” hosts and emcee’s for the evening, Ann Pulice and Ed Arnold, and featured on-air personalities Maria Hall-Brown, Cami Dixon and Rick Reiff.
Guests were entertained by a special appearance by the 35-member All American Boys Chorus, who performed two songs made famous by Sesame Street, followed by JT & Friends, a talented 55-member ensemble of horns, strings, woodwinds, keyboards, percussion and singers fronted by philanthropist and community leader John Tu.
Attendees also tapped their toes to the surprise performance by “Mel and the Mel-Adjusteds” featuring PBS SoCaL President and CEO Mel Rogers, and the Mel-Adjusteds Andy Russell, Jim Mazzo, Rick Reiff and Glenn Stearns.
The evening’s festivities not only featured a hosted cocktail reception, dinner, and special musical performances, but a live auction hosted by Larry Zucker.
The live auction was followed by a Fund-The-Need campaign supporting PBS SoCaL’s education goals, which was introduced by Jamie Annunzio Myers, PBS SoCaL Vice President of Education Services and Community Engagement.
The gala raised close to its goal of $600,000, benefiting PBS SoCaL Education, which is focused on making the station the leading educational force in homes throughout the Southern California area.
To view additional images from the evening, visit www.OCSocialScene.com.
