Co-chaired by Vanessa Moore and Susan Condrey, The Guilds of the Segerstrom Center hosted over 100 guests at the All Guilds Fundraiser that took place on Thursday, May 29 at the Harborside Restaurant and Grand Ballroom in Newport Beach.
Dressed in nautical attire, guests enjoyed signature cocktails, a gourmet dinner and appetizers, and a silent auction and raffle that brought in over $10,000, all in support of Segerstrom Center’s artistic and educational programs.
The Guilds of Segerstrom Center for the Arts is the oldest and largest of all the Center support groups. The focus of the Guilds is to build awareness and support of the Center, benefit the Center’s education, community engagement and artistic programs, and to develop a greater appreciation for the performing arts in Orange County. While each guild hosts their own social events and yearly fundraisers, all members come together for this annual fundraiser.
The evening honored The Beckman Foundation for its transformative partnership with the Center’s education initiatives. The foundation treated guests to an engaging cocktail experiment along with other small science touchpoints throughout the evening.
Guests ended the evening with music and dancing with local band Yachty by Nature and enjoyed classic Newport Beach Balboa Bars.
The celebration also recognized two outstanding members of the Guilds: Shari Esayian, recipient of the first ever Guilds Legacy Award, and Gerrie Goodreau, recipient of the Guilds Inspiration Award, recognized for their passionate advocacy and impact within the arts community.
About the Guild Award Winners
This year, The Guilds honor Shari Esayian with the first ever Guilds Legacy Award. Shari has been an active part of the Center since 1978, where she helped create and organize one of the first three original Guilds Chapters called Learned Ladies. “In those early years we were the hottest ticket and grew to nearly 4,000 Guilds members by the Center’s exciting grand opening in 1986.” By 1988, Shari became Chair of The Guilds and has held many leadership and event organizing roles in multiple chapters.
This year, The Guilds honor Gerrie Goodreau as their Inspiration Award Recipient. In 1983, soon after the Center’s groundbreaking, Gerrie became a charter member of the Carmen Dragon Chapter. She would later become the Chapter’s chairwoman and accept many leadership positions in multiple chapters in which she remains actively involved. From 2001-2003, Gerrie chaired The Guilds and raised an overwhelming amount of $750,000 each year of her leadership. Her motto is “do what you love and love what you do.”
The Beckman Foundation was established in September 1977 by Dr. Arnold O. and Mrs. Mabel Beckman to give back to the scientific community. When the Foundation was established, the Beckman’s intended to disburse the full amount of the endowment within their lifetimes. Following the establishment of Research Institutes at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, City of Hope, Caltech, Stanford, and University of California, Irvine, it became clear to the Beckman’s that despite their careful philanthropic efforts, the value of the Foundation was continuing to grow and could provide support to the scientific community long after their lifetimes. In 1990, Dr. Beckman made the decision to change the Foundation to be in perpetuity, and the mission was updated by Dr. Beckman to reflect his wishes to support young researchers with funding for innovative and high-risk research projects.
Attendees were able to hear from Vanessa Moore, Chair of The Guilds, as well as the honorees as they accepted their awards and spoke about how Segerstrom Center has touched their lives. Their contributions have made a lasting impact on our community and have helped shape the vibrant cultural landscape of Orange County.
