During the holiday season, Las Madrinas honored twenty-six families and their daughters for their service to the Southern California community and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles at The Las Madrinas Ball on December 21, 2019 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Over 800 guests from the greater Los Angeles area and beyond, including the twenty-six Debutantes, their families, and friends, gathered to celebrate with the members of Las Madrinas.
Las Madrinas President, Kjell Nicholas Hult (Katie), formally welcomed the families and guests in attendance and thanked everyone for joining Las Madrinas in its support of important research and treatment programs at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. She spoke of their current project, the Las Madrinas Endowment for the Chief of Neurology Chair and the Neurological Institute Epilepsy Program, and thanked Paul Viviano, President and Chief Executive Officer of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and Dr. Mark Krieger, Director of the Neurological Institute and Chief of Neurosurgery, for their leadership. Hult then recognized the Ball Chairman, Brian Mecham Webber (Megan), and the Debutante Chairman, Stephen Fitzmaurice Bennett (Chantal), for their wonderful efforts in making the evening such a success.
The Las Madrinas Ball Committee included Assistant Chair Andrew Doniger Goldman (Lisa), as well as Peter Varner Shoe-maker (Elizabeth), David Michael Reilly (Ali), Trevor Theodore Belden (Ana), Robert Charles Baggott (Susie), John Finlay Hotchkis, junior (Courtney), R. Scott Walker (Carrie), Gregory John Annick (Nancy), Henry Lea Hancock (Emily), Francis Ryan Knoll (Alison), Thomas Hamilton Link (Sheridan), Phil John Montoya, junior (Melina), and Stephen Konrad Algermissen (Liz).
The Las Madrinas Debutante Committee included Assistant Chair Todd Baldwin Dietrick (Allison), Michael Floyd Wright (Priscilla), James Watson Montgomery (Annabel), Richard Mage Keller (Jennifer), Gene Tiger Sykes (Tracy), Mario Esteban Rodriguez (Sara), John Brogan Carls (Jonna), James Paul MacPherson, junior (Cindy), John Alford Dick (Lisa), Michael Jon Fink (Tricia), Gregory Lee Mariscal (Lucinda), Paul Charles Hoffman (Christina), Kenneth Raymond Sabbag (Maggie), Louis R. Fermelia (Shane), and Harlan Holt Thompson (Ali-son).
Member husband Wayne Martin Brandt announced the Debutantes, while member husband David Thomas Balfour served as Director of Presentation. Flowers by Drew Domenghini designed the elegant florals and décor. The Wayne Foster Orchestra accompanied the Presentation of the Debutantes and played the traditional Father-Daughter Waltz that transitioned the party from presentation to celebration.
Las Madrinas was established in 1933 as the first Affiliate Group of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and has been supporting pediatric medicine for more than 86 years. Since 1939, Las Madrinas has honored families who have demonstrated a commitment to the civic, cultural, and philanthropic life of Southern California by presenting their daughters at the Las Madrinas Ball. Donations made in honor of the young women, together with the annual support of Las Madrinas members and friends, have enabled Las Madrinas to contribute funds to ten major research endowment and capital projects totaling over $25 million since 1988. This year, Las Madrinas is continuing its $5 million commitment to The Las Madrinas Endowment for the Chief of Neurology Chair and the Neurological Institute Epilepsy Program.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is dedicated to creating hope and building healthier futures for children. Founded in 1901, CHLA is ranked the top children’s hospital in the western United States, first in California and fifth in the nation for clinical excellence with its selection to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll of children’s hospitals. The hospital relies on the generosity of the community to support its groundbreaking pediatric research and the complex care it provides for critically ill and injured children.
Submitted by Jessica Bowlin
