Screen legend Sophia Loren will take center stage at an exclusive meet & greet that comes as part of a charity auction package benefiting two Southern California nonprofits. Bid now: caterina.givesmart
Screen legend Sophia Loren will take center stage at an exclusive meet & greet that comes as part of a charity auction package benefiting two Southern California nonprofits. Fans of the Oscar-winning actress can place their bids to spend time and take photos with her while dining on hors d'ouevres prepared by Anaheim White House and enjoying fine vintages from Joseph George Fine Wines. Post reception, the winning bidders will join the superstar in the VIP section of the audience to watch a performance by her son, Maestro Carlo Ponti, who will conduct the Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra featuring Italian tenor Pasquale Esposito. The festivities will take place on Friday, November 22nd at Broad Stage, a premium theatre located at The Eli and Edythe Performing Arts Center on the campus of Santa Monica City College (1310 11th St, Santa Monica, CA 90401).
All proceeds from the auction will be divided between two nonprofits: the Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra, which was founded by Ponti in 2013 and is devoted to the advocacy and support of music education, and Caterina’s Club, which was started by Sir Bruno Serato in 2005 and feeds underprivileged children (some 25,000 hot pasta dinners per week), finds permanent housing for families in need and trains young people for careers in the hospitality field. Donations are tax-deductible.
Those interested have three options: 12 individual tickets are available for purchase immediately via caterina.givesmart, two will be available for silent auction at caterina.givesmart, and six additional ones will be up for bid at a live auction at Caterina’s Club annual gala that will take place starting at 5 pm on Sunday, October 20 at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library (18001 Yorba Linda Blvd, Yorba Linda, CA 92886). Tickets for that event are $350 each and can be obtained by visiting caterina.givesmart.com or calling 657.201.3278. Opening bids for the Sophia Loren meet & greet packages start at $2,500 each.
Under the direction of Ponti, the Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra serves as a catalyst in supporting music education through collaborative partnerships with communities, schools, agencies and other arts organizations, with 100% of net income from performances supporting music study. At a time when school budget cuts are putting such programs at risk, the Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra promotes a world in which every young person has access to music education. For more information, visit https://lavirtuosi.org.
For his work on behalf of Caterina’s Club, Serato has earned international publicity including profiles in People Magazine, and has appeared on countless TV news and talk shows including “The Drew Barrymore Show,” “Access Hollywood,” “CBS Evening News” and “NBC Nightly News.” Among his many honors: CNN Hero, knighted by both the Italian government and the House of Savoy, Ellis Island Medal of Honor, a papal blessing from Pope Francis, a humanitarian award on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, and numerous proclamations, Man of the Year awards and other forms of recognition — all of which he accepts to generate public awareness of Caterina’s Club. For more information, visit www.caterinasclub.org.
