Rainbow Gala - = Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

There's = nothing like a=20 little fantasy to raise the spirits. And there = was=20 plenty to be had at Saturday's Juvenile = Diabetes=20 Research Foundation's Rainbow Gala that took = 800=20 swells far beyond the rainbow with Kids for a = Cure.=20

Glammed to the hilt, the Hilton ballroom = exploded in=20 five dazzling quadrants of color and fun as in = toys,=20 games, recess (everyone's favorite), children's = books=20 and art. Each was marked with a matching = activity that=20 was suspended on high. Think hula hoops, giant = paint=20 brushes, basketballs, Tinkertoys, Monopoly and = Twister=20 boards.=20

Even the centerpieces, linens and chair = covers=20 changed with each activity. Gorgeously so. = Creative=20 Affairs' party wiz Bonnie Walker-Chirigos = (with=20 Ed Stein) went all out (and all free, the = darling) to create the knockout ambience.=20

More fun than a barrel of monkeys? You = betcha. A=20 favorite was the live blond Barbie doll who = delighted=20 during the cocktail mingle while guests bid at = the=20 silent auction and played nicely together.=20

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The menu's = entree was=20 a tasty grilled filet mignon and pan-seared = salmon=20 paired with a yummy desert of white-chocolate = bread=20 pudding.=20

Because everyone there has a connection to a = loved=20 one battling the dread disease, they turned = their=20 pockets inside out and bid with their hearts. = Especially=20 for the Burton Morris triptych that the famed = pop artist=20 created with JD youngsters that brought $30,000 = in the=20 live auction. The successful bidder then = generously=20 donated it to our Children's Hospital. Hold on = to your=20 Slinky, Sally, because the live auction and Fund = a Cure=20 bidding raised a double rainbow of $519,000. = Shelving=20 fun and games for a moment, the eve raised a = staggering=20 $1.3 million all in!=20

But the gala's driving force, as always, is = JDRF's=20 determination to find a cure for diabetes. Just = ask=20 honoree and great guy Dr. Stan Marks, = director of=20 clinical services at UPMC Cancer Centers and = co-founder=20 of JDRF's regional chapter. Stan showed with = lovely=20 Nikol Snee and his sons Jason and=20 Jordan Marks (who has the chronic = disease). The=20 $300,000 pot of gold from Fund a Cure will = indeed be=20 directed to funding a cure through Stan's new, = local=20 signature research grant studying regeneration, = one of=20 JDRF's five cure therapeutics.=20

Then it was dancing to the irresistible Gary = Racan=20 and the Studio E band, as much a Vegas floorshow = as a=20 tip-top dance band.=20

Giant lollipops to chairs Heidi Brandon, = Mary Beth=20 Allegretti and Nan DeTurk (with = hubbies=20 Darryl, Jon and Steve) who turned = this=20 hugely successful gala every which way but = loose. With=20 good cause, since each has a child who is coping = with=20 the daily challenges of JD.=20

A peek at the guest list: Tracy and = Dr. Ken=20 Melani; JDRF chapter prez Mark = Gleason, with=20 daughter Erin, and director David = Donahue,=20 with Pauli; Julie and Jason=20 Lichtenstein; Pam and Scott Kroh; Athena = and=20 Frank Sarris; Celesta and Kendall = Simmons=20 of the Steelers; Peggy and Steve = Snavely;=20 Dennis and Judy White; Mary and = David=20 Maxwell with daughter Leah; Adrianne = and=20 Curtis Aiken; Jeanne Caliguiri; Maureen = and=20 Gary Barunas; Barbara and Dan = Shapira;=20 emcee Sally Wiggin of WTAE; and = Orlando=20 Antigua.=20

As well as Susie Franklin; Amy and = Philip=20 Elias; Barbara and David Burstin; Sara = and=20 Ahmie Baum; Drs. Leslie Soloshatz = and=20 Jeffrey Cohen; Nancy and Eric = Anderson; Neal=20 and Dot Pollan; Marsetta and Rich=20 Schweiger; Mary Jo Tambakis; Susan and = John=20 Albrecht; Carol and John Oxenreiter; = Kathy=20 and Ed Gallagher; Tara and John = Lewis;=20 Susan and George Stewart; Linda and=20 Russell Rice; Candace and John = McTiernan;=20 and Constance and Larry Manypenny. =

-- JoAnne Harrop and J.H.=20

Oodles for=20 = 'Noodle'

It took two theaters to contain the capacity = crowd of=20 moviegoers at Thursday's showing of "Noodle," = which=20 launched the Pittsburgh Jewish-Israeli Film=20 Festival at SouthSide Works Cinema. = Celebrating=20 Israel @ 60, the PJIFF chose this heartwarming = story of=20 a mother and son separated by borders but whose = love=20 knows no boundaries ('til April 13). After the = film,=20 more than 400 guests enjoyed folk dancing to the = spirited music of Ishtar, and delicious hors = d'oeuvres=20 by Michael Lench, especially his spicy noodles.=20

When the lights came up, we spotted PJIFF = director=20 Kathryn Spitz Cohan; event chair = Nachum Golan=20 with Steve Hough; committee chair = Dodie=20 Roskies with Ralph and daughter = Tammy;=20 Richard Rauh; Suzi Neft and David Sufrin = with=20 son Alex Byers; Ela Zingerevich; United = Jewish=20 Federation CEO Jeff Finkelstein; Sandi = and=20 Bernie Pinsker; Roberta Weissburg and = Richard=20 Fox; Dan Shapira; and Nanette = and=20 Ira Gordon.=20

-- JoAnne Harrop=20

Fashion=20 = Ticket

Models strutted down the runway in spring's = hottest=20 fashions at Macy's in Ross Park Mall. Looks went = from=20 day to night in hip, colorful numbers from INC=20 International Concepts, the store's exclusive=20 collection. Macy's teamed with Whirl Magazine = for=20 Fashion, Art, Culture to benefit = Tickets for=20 Kids Charities, which provides tickets to = cultural=20 and sporting events to underprivileged children. =

Thursday was a time to spring forward for = more than=20 130 fashionistas, including Macy's Linda = Decker;=20 TFKC director Vera Marelli; Christine Tumpson = and=20 Leslie Hoffman of Whirl; Thanh = Hong, a=20 senior at Art Institute of Pittsburgh who = designed the=20 winning T-shirt to commemorate the night; = Aylesa=20 Stevenson; Anji Corley and niece Jordan = Reese;=20 Julie Docherty; Karen Ovadia, owner of Bling = It On=20 in Shadyside; Adam Bies; Ruth Allen and = mom=20 Grace Moritz; Ashley Viviano; Marcia Coren; = Leah=20 Gally; Mary Ann Miller; Denise Sertich; Timothy=20 Rozetar; and Zach Lambert.=20

-- JoAnne Harrop=20

Austrian=20 = Ball

Eight young women in gorgeous white gowns and = sparkling tiaras bowed Saturday at the elegant=20 Austrian Ball in the Grand Hall of the = Priory to=20 benefit Pitt's Austrian Room Scholarship = Fund. On=20 the arm of their white-tied escort, these = lovelies=20 waltzed before 230 black-ties who applauded = their=20 dedication to community service.=20

Debuting were Claire Elizabeth Fleming; = Chelsey=20 Marie Frisch; Heidi Theresa Goeller; Abbey Rose = Kernick;=20 Megan Ann McDowell; Alexis Katherine Schaming; = Elizabeth=20 Konzier Shields; and Victoria Konzier=20 Shields.=20

From the balcony, we spotted Helen Semethy = with Bill; Elisabeth and Georg = Mandl;=20 Carol and Bill Shields (whose four = daughters=20 took part); AACS prez William Burgunder = Jr.;=20 Pittsburgh's honorary consul of Switzerland Dr. = Heinz=20 Kunz with Nancy; emcee Frank = Weiss;=20 Anne-Carol and Tom Tawoda with son = Tommy;=20 Heidi Novak; Jackie and Wilhelm Dorfner; = Theresa=20 and Richard Goeller and son = Richard=20 III; scholarship winners Julia Finch = and=20 Zachary Moir; and Sister Mary = Traupman.=20

-- JoAnne Harrop=20