(From left): Dr. Sherin U. Devaskar, physician-in-chief of UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital and Mattel Executive Endowed Chair in Pediatrics; event co-chair Hillary Milken; event co-chair Loris Lunsford; Johnese Spisso, president of UCLA Health, CEO of the UCLA Hospital System and associate vice chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences; and event committee members Melissa Mitchell, Rebecca Khorshidi and Bobby Khorshidi. Photos: Jessie Cowan Photography
A steady stream of children and their families filled Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier on November 3, 2019, to play, ride, sing, dance, create and enjoy a fun-packed day at the 20th Annual Party on the Pier, benefiting UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. The event, which generates unrestricted funding for high-priority programs serving children locally and around the world, has become a time-honored tradition, thanks to the dedication of the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital Board, event-planning committee, sponsors, supporters and volunteers. Loris Lunsford and Hillary Milken served as co-chairs.
To the delight of attendees, Mattel, Inc. provided premium toys to fill the game booths, and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation helped make the VIP tent a home run with hat and T-shirt giveaways, star athletes to meet and greet and the Dodgers’ mascot spreading team spirit, sharing high fives and showing off dance moves.
Top Left: (Top, from left): Danit Marquardt, Mattel, Inc.; Steve Totzke, Mattel, Inc.; Jeffrey H. Cohen, UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital board member; Amy Thompson, Mattel, Inc.; Hillary Milken; PJ Lewis, Mattel Inc.; Johnese Spisso; Dr. Sherin U. Devaskar; Tanya Andreadis, UCLA Health chief of marketing. (Bottom, from left): Loris Lunsford; Monique Rosenthal, UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital board member; Janet Hsu, Mattel, Inc.; Marissa Beck, Mattel, Inc.; and Lindsey Williams, assistant vice chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences. Top Right: (From left): Dodger alumni Mickey Hatcher, Dennis Powell, Billy Ashley, Lee Lacy, Matt Luke and Derrel Thomas. Bottom Left: At the Party on the Pier game booths, filled with Mattel toys, everyone is a winner. Bottom Center: Guests and teen celebrities with Gus from the UCLA People-Animal Connection. Bottom Right: The L.A. Dodgers’ mascot made the rounds.
The Power of Play area, sponsored by the Goldhirsh-Yellin Foundation, offered a shady retreat for all guests, with a variety of craft activities, including glitter tattoos, and space for children to move and groove during a performance by The BeatBuds. Elsewhere in the park, a beauty makeover station, hosted by Petite N’ Pretty, and a celebrity photo booth where guests could take selfies with stars from favorite children’s TV shows and movies, were additional highlights. Volunteers from the UCLA People-Animal Connection brought furry friends again this year to add some paw-someness to an already incredible day.
UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital ranks among the best children’s hospitals in the nation in all 10 specialties assessed in 2019-20 by U.S. News & World Report.
For more information, contact Danielle Dietz at: 310-267-4098
