“Heal the Bay” Benefit by H.U.G.E Charity at AKWA in Santa Monica on (7/23/06)

March 26, 2007 Edited by Todd Elliot

Sexy Summer Soiree for Heal the Bay – Review

The summer heat didn’t stop more than 500 attendees from showing up for the H.U.G.E (Helping Urge Generosity Everywhere) Sexy Summer Soiree party. The event was held this weekend at Akwa Restaurant in Santa Monica to benefit Heal the Bay. When I arrived the line teamed down the street and could have been mistaken for a church procession in the south with the humidity index and everyone clothed in white, but it didn’t seem to bother these people. It was obvious they were there on a mission…to party. Upon entering the event and dropping my $20 donation in the Heal the Bay box, I was served cocktails from a bikini clad model sporting the SunMilk logo and in between munching on the tuna tartar hors d’oeuvres, models from iTrain coerced me into bidding on elaborate auction items such as iTrain fitness packages or VIP tickets to Gnarls Barkley. My sights were set on bidding for the Scrubs Walk-on-Role though. But alas, another patron’s determination triumphed. Looking over the crowd from the DJ booth where DJ Kevin Christopher and Ricardo Torres spun the hottest dance and house music, a sea of white was flowing along with pink infused drinks provided by Intrigue Liquor. Good-looking people were around and sometimes I didn’t know who was who as talent posed for photographers on the red carpet. As I mingled with a crowd that was surprisingly jovial and friendly, I spotted the familiar face of Eva La Rue of CSI Miami, Linda Thompson and Patrick Kilpatrick. Dancing and mingling I realized I wasn’t just having fun, I was also helping Heal the Bay by attending the event. I guess that goes along with their motto "Parties with a Cause." This was the coming out party for the H.U.G.E organization but it was obvious that the members of the committee: Lisa Haque, Tee-a Hof, Scott Chisholm, Grace Lazenby, Maya Rivers, Tracy Curtis, Larry Block, Tony Margiotta and Kevin Lloyd had coordinated successful events prior to this weekend. When I spoke to Tee-a, she explained, "This is our first party but the next one is already in the works." I am looking forward to it very much. I just wonder what color the dress code will be for the next one?

H.U.G.E CHARITY PARTY BENEFITING

HEAL THE BAY

At AKWA RESTAURANT 7/23

WHAT: “Sexy Summer Soirée” Party to Raise Monies for Heal the Bay

WHO: VIP and Celebrity Attendees

WHEN: Sunday, July 23, 2006 at 5:30PM

WHERE: AKWA Restaurant and Club, 1413 5^th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401

310-656-9688, URL: http://www.akwarestaurant.com/

COST: $20 Donation at the door

A recently formed socially conscious organization called H.U.G.E, (Helping Urge Generosity Everywhere), will stage “Sexy Summer Soirée,” its summer debut event on July 23^rd. H.U.G.E is a completely not-for-profit organization comprised of local Santa Monica residents committed to staging fun-filled and social conscious events to raise money and awareness for a variety of local and national charities — PARTIES WITH A CAUSE. The “Sexy Summer Soirée” will be a VIP, celebrity-driven, fundraising event, to fundraise for “Heal The Bay,” a renowned nonprofit environmental group working to make Santa Monica Bay and Southern California coastal waters safe and healthy.

Scheduled performers for the evening include, singer and song-writer, John West, and DJ Kevin Christopher and DJ Ricardo Torres of West Coast Collective who will be playing the latest dance music grooves. Invitees include, DJ A.M., Jennifer Anniston, Bruce Willis, Amy Smart, Eva Longoria, Tom Arnold, Nick Carter, Luke & Owen Wilson and more. H.U.G.E sponsors include Fiji Water, SunMilk, Intrigue Liqueur, iTrain, Bounce clothing, YogaMonk, and Mint Events; who are contributing towards VIP gift bags and an exclusive silent auction.

"We are look forward to kicking off our summer roster of events with our Sexy Summer Soirée to raise money for Heal The Bay," states Lisa Haque of H.U.G.E. "The ability to bring together such a respected roster of noted entertainers and celebrities to raise money for such a noble cause is endearing and highly needed. As the environment becomes ever more critical this is a prime example of local people organizing and having a local event for a local cause that has wide-spread impact. We hope we can serve as an example of what is possible and look forward to everyone coming out to demonstrate their support, learn more about H.U.G.E. and our mission, and have a fun-filled extravagant evening!"

Press check-in is at 5 PM and red carpet entry will be held from 5:30 to 7 PM.