You Just Never Know

I've known Brad and his beautiful, lovely wife for several years--all the way back to Atlanta before their son was even born. I knew about Big Brothers Big Sisters working with children across the country. I knew Brad was a "Big," as they are called, at some point when we all lived in Atlanta.

Things I didn't know:

• Los Angeles serves 1,500 "Littles" through the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and the Inland Empire organization.
  
• Walt Disney was one of the founders of the organization, and LA seems to have a deep, rich and long-standing commitment to this organization.
  
• Brad is chair of the finance committee for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and the Inland Empire.
  

So last night I attended The Big Bash!, the second of the two annual fund raisers for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and the Inland Empire. The event was first class and began with a silent auction followed by dinner, awards, and entertainment. It appears I will be taking a trip to Prague and staying in the Prague Hilton Old Town. Other auctioned items included:

• Staying at a private residence in Cabo San Lucas (a $12,000 value)
• a his/her watch set (valued at over $13,000) donated by Tiffany & Co.
• a week-long stay for 4 families at the Amangani Villa in Jackson Hole (valued at over $25,000)
  
• a week on Rick Caruso's yacht (staff included) in the Caribbean (bids beginning at $150,000)
  
• a week on Rick Caruso's yacht (staff included) in the Mediterranean

The evening at the Beverly Hills Hilton included special appearances by Fred Willard who served as the event host, Jon Cryer, Andrea Fiuczynski, and Leonardo Dicaprio.

Three Angelenos were honored with awards: Developer, Rick Caruso (The 2009 Walt Disney Man of the Year Award), Worldwide Marketing President for Warner Brothers, Sue Kroll (The 2009 Sherry Lansing Award), and young actor Angus T. Jones (The 2009 Rising Star Award).

But, with my background as an educator, the most special part of the night was hearing the firsthand stories of Little Brothers and Little Sisters with their mentors. They were truly touching. But then, any time one empowers another human soul to reach his or her highest potential, that story is always filled with the drama of hope and the celebration of humanity at its best.

Chris, another friend from Atlanta who has also moved his family out to California, said during dinner, "Two years ago most of us at this table were living in Atlanta. Who would have thought!" This was indeed a glimpse into a different world.