Patrick Wayne was overjoyed by the turnout at the John Wayne Cancer Institute Event. He explained to StarCam’s Jennifer Tapiero that there is a lot riding on this particular gala because it’s the only one they hold each year!
“Well, the great thing is everyone is coming out for the event. It’s been a challenging couple of years with the state of the economy, so fundraising and getting people involved and then leaving like this; it’s just reassuring when we get a great turnout like this,” he said. “It’s very important for us. The auxiliary puts on one big gala a year and this is it. A lot of our funding rises and falls on an event like this and this is going to be a super year. We’ve got a huge turnout and so we’re excited. We’re really excited.”
Opera singers Katherine Jenkins and Fernando Varela performed as part of the evening’s entertainment and Katherine brought along an entourage from Dancing with the Stars to show their support for the cause and for her. They also had a silent auction and honored oncologist Lawrence Piro. Check out the full interview for more details about the organization and the event!