A super bowl of funds

Lindsay Sandham

The New England Patriots may have won Super Bowl XXXIX, but most

attendees at the Fourth Annual Lighthouse Guild Super Bowl Party

Fundraiser didn’t seem to care much.

“The Super Bowl makes it easy to get people here, but you’re

spending money for a good cause,” said Dean Quintal of Newport Beach.

This year, held at Sutra Lounge in Triangle Square, the fundraiser

brought in upwards of 300 people who bought tickets to raise money

for the Olive Crest Foundation, an organization that promotes child

abuse prevention and treatment.

Event-goers were able to buy single tickets for $75 or reserve

sections of the club for anywhere from $2,200 to $5,000.

Sutra donated the space, food, employees’ help and a percentage of

drink sales.

“We’ve always been part of the community,” Sutra manager David

Griffith said. “We’ve been doing a lot of fundraisers since we opened

seven months ago.”

Lighthouse Guild, the donation arm of Olive Crest, decided to

partner with Sutra this year because it’s a hip place that figured to

draw a large crowd.

Lighthouse Guild scaled the event down from previous years, Steele

said, in order to focus on raising money while keeping the overall

cost low.

Last year’s fundraiser was held at Newport Dunes. It was held at

the Fashion Island Marriott the last two years.

Four L.A. Laker cheerleaders attended the event in uniform to sign

autographs.

“This is a really good event, and we’re just happy to be

involved,” Laker cheerleader Kristin Jacobs said. “We’ve supported

Olive Crest for a few years.”

Athletes First, a Newport Beach Sports Agency, also brought

several young football players training for the April draft.

“It’s a great opportunity for the young guys to get involved in

the community,” said Domenic Mantella, Client Services Director for

Athletes First. “What we like to stress is doing charity, and getting

involved in the community is just as important as being a great

football player.”

Newport Coast resident Debbie Bridges decided to throw her Super

Bowl Party at Sutra after she noticed the large banner advertising

the event on Newport Boulevard.

“I think it’s a really neat way to have a Super Bowl party and

support a good cause,” Bridges said.

AVC Electronics Project Manager Wayne Olson said the company gave

Olive Crest a charitable rate for audio-visual service.

Several other companies donated items for the fundraiser, and

Karl Strauss Brewing Co. donated 450 bottled beers.

* LINDSAY SANDHAM is the news assistant. She can be reached at

(714) 966-4625 or [email protected].