Soroptimists Make Monte Carlo Night a Huge Success

Guests were transported back to Morocco and Rick's Cafe, as they helped raise money towards local women’s and children’s charities at the Soroptimist International of Artesia-Cerritos’s "An Evening in Casablanca" Monte Carlo event at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 26.

The Sierra Room was packed with guests from the community, where patrons took their chances at casino favorites such as craps, roulette and blackjack. This year marked the first time the organization also introduced a poker tournament, which the group hinted may be part of the annual festivities from now on due to the positive response.

“This is the biggest turnout in several years,” said Gloria Kappe, former mayor of Cerritos and a Soroptimist director. “It shows that the community likes to have fun and likes to support the projects we’re involved in. This is a very giving community.”

Kathy Lovell, co-president of the Soroptimist chapter, said that 286 tickets were sold and that the high turnout shows an improvement from the last few years, in which turnout was down because of the recession. 

She noticed that many of the guests were out and about as opposed to staying in their seats -- though seats were hard to come by with such a large crowd.

“We know we’re doing well if no one’s seated,” she said while looking at packed casino tables. “They’re looking at the silent auction, playing games and talking to friends. They’re not just sitting here eating.”

One guest at the blackjack tables was impressed with the turnout at the Casablanca-themed event, which featured posters and photos from the movie throughout the venue, along with the names of the dishes and the “Rick's Café Américain” coffee station.

“ ‘Casablanca’ is a classic theme that you can’t go wrong,” said guest Nina Goedel. “They’ve done a great job and I hope that they can raise a lot of money tonight.”

The Soroptimist handed out roughly $36,000 in prizes by the end of the night. Some of the giveaways, which were donated by various businesses and organizations, included vacation packages to San Diego, a flat-screen television, ride-alongs with the Sheriff’s Department and tickets to a taping of  ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”

Sandy Fikse, Soroptimist member in charge of sponsorships, said that despite the tough economic climate, organizations and businesses that donated prizes and provided sponsorship were more generous than last year.

“As you can see, it is a big success this year,” she said. “It’s our community and it’s our mission to help our community. We have the power to help these people.”

Fikse said that while she was in charge of sponsorship, this was a team effort amongst her fellow Soroptimists. She also added that the organization’s event and its efforts to help community groups are encouraging more women to sign up, especially younger professionals.

“It’s good to know that people still care,” she said. “We have to make people more aware of our organization—that we’re a group of women helping other women and girls.”

The organization raised more than $47,000 from the event -- funds that will be directed toward many organizations that the Soroptimist help, including the Community Family Guidance Center and Su Casa-Ending Domestic Violence.

Vicki Doolittle, the executive director of the Su Casa women’s shelter said that she appreciates the long-time support from the Soroptimists.

“They have been supportive of us for as long as we’ve been around,” she said, adding that Su Casa is set to receive $10,000 from the event’s proceeds. “The Soroptimists helped to buy the first shelter [of our organization] and it was named the Soroptimist house.”

Doolittle said that the community’s support of the fundraiser and her organization makes her “feel proud of the community.”

“[Monte Carlo night] is a chance to see friends, local people, politicians and other organizations,” she added. “It’s lots of fun. The community showing up for this event and their support is inspiration for us.”

Some prominent local figures also attended the gala, including officials from Los Angeles County, the cities of Cerritos and Artesia, ABC Unified School District and Cerritos College.

Artesia Mayor Victor Manalo said that his city has been a long-time sponsor of Monte Carlo night and the organization's efforts to help great causes in the community.

“Many of the [Soroptimist] members live in Artesia and the helps a lot of different organization, not just in Artesia, but also the rest of the community,” he said. “We’ll always be supportive of them and the city supports lots of organizations that are dedicated to service.”

ABC Unified School District board member and Cerritos City Council candidate , who attended the event with his wife Gloria, praised the Soroptomists for putting on the Monte Carlo night and using it to bring awareness and much needed donations to these organizations.

“The Soroptimists always do a fantastic job and it’s great that they raise the money to help organizations like the Community Family Guidance Center and Su Casa,” he said. “These are challenging times and the funds raised (at this event) are necessary to keep these organizations and charities within our community.”

Editor's Note: A complete photo slideshow of the festivities will be posted on Patch later this week. So make sure you check back to see more photos from this fun-filled event!