In The News - April 27, 2003

Betty Ferguson Foundation fund-raiser benefits programs for women and girls.

4/27/2003
Margie Anne Clark [Signal Staff Writer]


    The Betty Ferguson Foundation recently welcomed dozens of members of the community to their second annual Vine 2 Wine fund- raiser held at the Bridgeport clubhouse in Valencia.
     Proceeds from the wine-tasting event will benefit Betty Ferguson Foundation programs for women of all ages. The event also served as a prelude to the Foundation’s upcoming third annual “Women of Honor” event coming up on Aug. 9 at the Hyatt Valencia. This year’s honoree will be Marlee Lauffer, spokeswoman for Newhall Land and Farming Co.
    Welcoming guests to the event was Marjanne Priest, co-founder the Betty Ferguson Foundation. Priest introduced the foundation’s board of directors as well as members of the youth advisory board.
    After touching on the organizations scholarship programs and other activities of the foundation, Priest invited guests to enjoy an afternoon of mingling on a breezy springtime over-cast day, while taking in the sumptuous offering of hors d’oeuvres and wine. The lake-front setting of the Bridgeport clubhouse provided the perfect backdrop for guests to sit outside while taking in the company and entertainment of the day.
    Lindsey Hough, a sophomore at Hart High School, and a popular singer at community events, provided the entertainment for the afternoon. Hough opened the afternoon festivities by singing a moving rendition of “God Bless America,” followed by a variety of country western melodies.
    “May we all have a good time and explore all of our senses,” Priest said. “I am so delighted to see all of you today and so proud of all that we have been able to accomplished through your generous support.”
     Guests who attended the event enjoyed a sampling of culinary delights from a variety of local vendors including; International Wines and Liquor, Agua Dulce Vineyard, Valencia Wine Company, LA Trends, RSVP Catering and An Affaire Extraordinaire who donated their food and wine.
    A variety of silent auction and raffle items were available for purchase including several Easter Baskets filled with such items as tickets to the Museum of Contemporary art as well as collectible DVDs and CDs. Many of the items were donated by the Cox family.
    Joining Priest in putting the event together was Ferguson’s daughter, Judy Cox, co-founder of the organization. The Betty Ferguson Foundation was founded with the purpose of providing a variety of support services to women of all ages in an effort to enhance the lives of women everywhere.
    Cox said the foundation has been quietly making a difference in the community when it was first established as a living memorial to Ferguson.
    “My mother, who had a great love for helping women and teen organizations, lived frugally so that she could give to others,” Cox said. “I was so inspired by her generosity that I wanted to combine her passion for giving money to women and teens with my love of helping them discover their strengths, their personal goals and learning to be in control of their own choices.”
    Cox said the foundation provides Workshops and Seminars for women and teens and covering such topics as, Parenting, Finances, Health, Career Planning, Educational Goal Setting and Life Skills.
    “We provide scholarships for students attending College of the Canyons,” Cox said, adding that the foundation is actively involved with and/or provide financial assistance for the Circle of Care/Child and Family Center, SCV Senior Center, Food Pantry, Single Mothers Outreach, Angel Connection and New Horizon/CalWORKs departments at College of the Canyons, AAUW/Math and Science Camp.
    “My greatest joy is seeing someone get this revelation, to no longer be paralyzed with fear or allow circumstances to control their choices,” Cox said.
    City of Santa Clarita Mayor Cameron Smyth, who was among the guests attending the Vine 2 Wine, said he is pleased  with the progress of the foundation in the community. For the past two years, Smyth has served on the Board, but took time off this year to focus on his duties as Mayor.
    “The growth has been amazing over the past several years and is a testament to the founders Judy and Marjanne and the community, which is always willing to support a worthy cause,” Smyth said. “The foundation is relatively unique as it focuses on the young women of our community who are not necessarily at risk, but in need of additional guidance and support.”
    Lauffer joined Smyth and the foundation’s first “Women of Honor” Cheri Fleming, in attending the wine-tasting. Roberta Veloz, of the Aquafine Corporation was the foundation’s second “Woman of Honor.” Lauffer said she is excited to be chosen as this year’s Woman of Honor.
    “They’re a remarkable organization and I hope I can help them raise a little more money for their programs,” Lauffer said, adding that the afternoon event was a great way to raise funds for a worthy cause.
    “This is a nice way to educate the community on the great resource the Betty Ferguson Foundation is,” Lauffer said. “They do so many different things to build self esteem in young women.”
    Judy Cox, co-founder of the Betty Ferguson Foundation said she is looking forward to this year’s Women of dinner.
    “This year we honor Marlee Lauffer of Newhall Land,” Cox said, adding that Lauffer was instrumental in bringing Newhall Land and Farming Co.,  on board as a sponsor for the foundation. Cox said the group first met with Lauffer more than three year’s ago to see if she would be interested in being a sponsor for the first dinner.
    “Her responsiveness and her belief in what we were doing, came from three years of taking note of our activities, so she knew of us before we met with her,” Cox said. “She was immediately supportive and hers was the first major company in the valley to do so.”
    Cox said Lauffer has since been involved with the growth of the foundation through her support of the foundations events as well as her participation as a guest speaker at various luncheons and workshops held by the foundation.
     “As we have gotten to know her we have discovered that she is an incredibly active participant in our community,” Cox said.
    In addition to her very visible role as Director of Corporate Marketing and Public Relations at Newhall Land, Lauffer is also active with our Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the City of Santa Clarita Cultural Affairs Advisory Committee. She also serves on the Assistance League of Santa Clarita, the Zonta Club of Santa Clarita, the YMCA, and on the Board of Directors for Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital. Most recently, Lauffer is heading up the new CalArts Connection which is designed to benefit programs at CalArts and to enrich the cultural life of the SCV.
    Cox said she is looking forward to the continued growth of the foundation.
    “It gives us the greatest pleasure to take a woman who needs help in so many areas of her life and sometimes hold her by the hand and walk her to her first college class,” Cox said. “It’s so important to help young teens begin to believe in themselves and start making wiser choices for their lives,” she added.
    Volunteers of the Betty Ferguson keep abreast with the needs of the community by taking classes at College of the Canyons in interpersonal communication, public speaking, speech, inter-cultural communications, and sociology related classes as well as classes that relate to business skills and ethics.
    The board of the Betty Ferguson Foundation, continues to educate their members is part of the mission of the organization. For more than six years the volunteers of the Betty Ferguson Foundation have been quietly working to build a reputation of service to the community.
    “We have a commitment to our word and we are proud of our business ethics and we believe in excellence in all that we do,” Cox said.