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| Hero Fest Producers Victoria Murphy and Wendy Milette with Alisa Eisenberg, Warren Sellers, Jason Feddy, Zeda Stone, Lucinda Prewitt, Gregg Abel, Whitney Winefordner, Marinta Skupin, and Lauren Segal - honorees at Laguna Hero Fest 2016 |
CONTACT: Jeanne Meyers FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
949-376-5964
LOCAL HEROES SHINE AT THE 2016 LAGUNA HERO FEST
LAGUNA BEACH, CA – The 2016 Laguna Hero Fest shined a spotlight on community heroes and the Laguna Beach area. Laguna residents and guests came out to celebrate their friends and neighbors who help make Laguna Beach a strong and vibrant city. The event took place April 21st at the entertainment venue [seven-degrees].
Mayor Pro Tem Steve Dicterow kicked off the festivities, praising The MY HERO Project for creating positive media in our schools and community centers. He presented civic leader and designer Gregg Abel with a plaque of recognition from the Orange County Board of Supervisors for his philanthropy and his contributions to the quality of life in Orange County.
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| Mayor Pro Tem Steve Dicterow and 2016 Community Award winner Gregg Abel |
Malcolm Warner, Director of the Laguna Art Museum, joined MY HERO in honoring Marinta Skupin and the Art & Nature Festival. Skupin is the Curator of Education of the Laguna Art Museum, which is home to the Art & Nature Festival. Warner complimented Skupin for her role in providing arts education to all ages.
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| Whitney Winefordner and John Huessenstam Entertain the Audience |
The young and very talented Thurston Middle School student Whitney Winefordner entertained the audience with her rendition of Somewhere over the Rainbow, accompanied by John Huessenstam on the guitar. The pair received a standing ovation!
Jason Feddy, Alisa Eisenberg and Warren Sellars were present to receive music hero awards for the local chapter of Music in Common, an international program that strives to bring peace and coexistence to Jewish, Christian and Muslim youth.
Give a Beat, founded by local entrepeneur Lauren Segal, gives youth at risk opportunities to use today's music and the art of DJing for rehabilitation and possible career guidance. Give a Beat provided entertainment along with DJ Jamey Madrid.
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| Lucinda Prewitt of Laguna Beach Live! |
Lucinda Prewitt, of Laguna Beach Live!, accepted a music hero award for the organization's contribution to making high quality music performances accessible to the people of Laguna Beach and for its role in making music available to schools and the Boys and Girls Club.
Later in the evening, MY HERO Co-founder and Director Jeanne Meyers presented the Community Hero Award to Abel, who has significantly altered the look of Laguna Beach with his exquisitely designed, custom built homes. Abel has been President of the Chamber of Commerce and has worked to make the Friendship Shelter viable. He currently serves on the Board of the Laguna Food Pantry.
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| Zeda Stone from Ryot Foundation with Amber Chavez and Kara Noskoff from CHOC Child Life Team accept honors for the Great Escape VR Project for Pediatric Patients. |
Ryot.org was honored for its virtual reality programs for good, especially for their work with pediatric patients at Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). Bryn Mooser and Zeda Stone have made great strides in the community and in the greater tech world. Ryot was recently acquired by Huffington Post.
The event was enhanced by the vibrant reef photography of Patsee Ober who brings the tide pools of Laguna Beach to our attention and whose love of the ocean infuses all of her work. In addition, the Laguna Beach High School computer arts students and the Laguna Beach Boys and Girls Club created art for the event that was exhibited and received accolades from those present.
The celebration was a beautiful event organized by Wendy Milette, Director of the Laguna Hero Fest and Victoria Murphy, Arts Education Director for the MY HERO Project.
The Laguna Hero Fest is supported by the City of Laguna Beach and its lodging establishments and the Festival of the Arts Foundation.
Page created on 5/10/2016 4:02:19 PM
Last edited 11/14/2018 10:43:43 PM
