BEVERLY HILLS COURIER | JULY 29, 2016 Page 20
A N O T H E R B I RT H D AY ! ? Barbara Lazaroff
Adele Swartz
Les Bronte
Cliff Waeschle
Lisa Kudrow
John Landis
Lori Gordon
Paul Anka
Bonnie Webb
Frances Allen
Joan Mangum Military veteran employment issues were front and center at the 19th JVS Strictly Business L.A. Awards Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton, as Dan Goldenberg, a highly regarded advocate for veterans, addressed hundreds of business owners, professionals, entrepreneurs and philanthropists as the keynote speaker. NBC4’s Fritz Coleman returned as the event’s host. A premier networking event, JVS Strictly Business highlights the life-changing work of JVSLA, a nonprofit, non-sectarian agency dedicated to lifting people out of poverty by helping them overcome barriers and challenges to employment. Since 2009, Activision Blizzard, through the Call of Duty Endowment, has provided more than $18 million in grants to veteran organizations nationally and helped place 22,752 veterans into high-quality careers, especially important as a 2015 government report said that young, post-9/11 veterans are three times more likely to be unemployed than the average American. The JVS Veterans First program is a multiple-year recipient of Call of Duty Endowment funding and a partner in the regional effort to place military veterans into high-quality jobs. During the luncheon, JVS honored Universal Protection Service, one of the largest American-owned security services providers, with its “Corporate Partnership Award” for significant contributions to a public-private-nonprofit partnership that creates meaningful change in the community. This military-friendly employer is committed to offering opportunities to job seekers in underserved communities as well as to hiring veterans who bring unique skills and training to the industry. They are partners in the national 100,000 Opportunities Initiative and locally in 10,000 Strong Veterans Hiring Initiative. JVS presented its “Inspiration Award” to three JVS clients whose successes illustrate the mission of the agency to help lift people out of poverty and over significant barriers to employment. This year’s recipients included Roland Williams, a formerly homeless veteran now employed as an apartment maintenance technician; Deborah Smith, a survivor of domestic violence who now works for Wells Fargo; and James Acosta, a formerly out-of-school, unemployed youth now employed at Starbucks and working toward his high school diploma.
BIRTHDAYS—Martina McBride, Adele Swartz and Will Wheaton (July 29); Paul Anka, Peter Bogdonavich, Hilary Swank, Les Bronte, Delta Burke, Lisa Kudrow, Kate Bush, Ken Olin and Arnold Schwarzenegger (July 30); Dean Cain, and J.K. Rowling (July 31); Barbara Lazaroff, Lori Gordon, Tempest Bledsoe, and Geoffrey Holder (Aug. 1) Betty Hollingsworth, and Polly Holiday (Aug. 2); Tony Bennett, Tom Brady, John Landis and Martin Sheen (Aug. 3); Cliff Waeschle, Eliza Manchester, Bonnie Webb, Jeff Gordon, Barack Obama and Gil Garcetti (Aug. 4).
Desert Roundup
STRICTLY BUSINESS–At the 19th annual JVS Strictly Business luncheon/awards in The Beverly Hilton were (above, from left): honorees Roland Williams and Deborah Smith; JVS’s COO Claudia Finkel and Harris Smith, board president; and honoree James Acosta. Universal Protection Agency was also honored. Below left: JVS’s CEO Alan Levey and CEO Emerita Vivian Seigel. Photos by Courtney Lindberg
Even in summer, it would take something really outstanding to bring this Desert rat into Los Angeles for a birthday party. Renee Kumetz is just such a person, and the smiles were worth traveling the miles. I invited several good Desert friends, and one husband, Sherman Fridman; the singularly-named jeweler, Parker; the gracious philanthropist Diane Deshong; and seated next to her a radiant Kumetz and her beau, Robert Hirsch, to Craig’s for a birthday dinner in her honor. Seated next to us in this A-list West Hollywood celebrity restaurant, were the stars of Dog, The Bounty Hunter and their entourage. To be frank, Kumetz is not a big fan of reality TV and had no idea whom Dog is. In fact, wearing his traditional attire of long, dirtyblonde hair and black leather wardrobe, she thought Dog was a homeless person who just happened to wander into the restaurant. In true “you-cannot-tell-a-book-by-its-cover” fashion, Dog (Duane Chapman) turned out to be a kind, gentle, compassionate mountain of a man who, ignoring the paparazzi stationed outside, asked if he could have a picture taken with the birthday girl. I wonder if that picture will show up as a prop in the next episode of Dog’s Hawaiian-based thriller?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RENEE–Renee Kumetz celebrated her birthday with a party at Craig’s on Melrose hosted by the Courier’s Frances Allen. Bottom row (from left): Dog, reality TV star; honoree Renee Kumetz; Frances Allen; and Diane Deshong. Top row (from left): Kevin Parker; Craig Susser, the restaurant’s owner; Robert Hirsch; and Sherman Fridman.
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