5th Annual JSK Birthday Charity Event Benefits LA’s Sharefest Community Development

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Sept. 9, 2015 - PRLog -- On Saturday, September 5^th, businesswoman and producer Jemie Sae Koo (VP Marketing, Avasant) presented the JSK Birthday Charity Event: The 5th Annual Celebration of Life & Paying It Forward Benefit.  The event celebrated birthday honorees Sae Koo and The Honorable Nanette Barragan, City of Hermosa Beach.  Proceeds from this year’s event go to Sharefest Community Development (http://www.sharefestinc.org), which serves predominantly at-risk Latino and African American youth ages 11-18 in the Greater Los Angeles Area.  This event, selling out in less than two weeks, raised over $25,000 in donations and contributions, and featured over 150 influential guests in black, white and red cocktail attire, including royalty, celebrities, journalists, elected officials, and national business leaders.

Guests were treated to an exclusive interactive dinner experience curated by Celebrity Chef Jason Park at his soon-to-be opened Maru Restaurant (http://marusantamonica.com/) (12400 Wilshire Boulevard) in Santa Monica, and award-winning cocktail Chef Matthew Biancaniello, Eat Your Drink.  Entertainment featured celebrity DJ Sandra Luesse with special guest performances by recording artist Keaton Simons, singer Niki J. Crawford & avant-garde drummer Deantoni Parks.  Partners and Sponsors included Avasant, CSQ Magazine, Maru, Ellenar Events, Line 204, The Burgett Group, Photographer Steven Lam and Videographer Gian Barbarona.

Sharefest has served over 1,250 at-risk youth through their Youth Development Academy with a focus on mentoring youth to develop the leaders of tomorrow.  The non-profit organization has facilitated 12 annual workdays completing over 1,750 different projects to mobilize over 50,000 community volunteers to complete over $10 million dollars worth of work for our LA community. Sharefest bridges the digital divide by bringing technology into the classrooms and fostering volunteerism in the community.

Celebrities, VIP supporters and attendees included hosts: Prince Rudolf Kniase Melikoff, The Honorable Mike Fong (Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees), Emmy-Award Winning Broadcast Journalist Susan Hirasuna (FOX11 News), actor & songwriter Kwame Morris (Son of 22-time Grammy Award-winning, legendary singer/songwriter Stevie Wonder), Kevin S. Parikh, Esq. (CEO, Avasant), Dr. Jon A. Perlman (ABC’s “Extreme Makeover”), Radio Host Ken Rukowski (President, BusinessRockstars.com), Dr. Paul Y. Song (Chief Medical Officer, Cynvenio & Physician, Cedars-Sinai) and David Wurth (publisher, CSQ Magazine).

Other distinguished guests included: Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe,world renowned fashion designer Sue Wong, Dirk Alborn (CEO, Hyperloop), Inventor Elan Lee, Augusto Penjasoff (Global Head of Innovation, AstraZeneca), Actor Eric Roberts, Actress Eliza Simons-Roberts, Wealth Manager and Restaurateur Kerry Moy, Award Winning Multi-Platinum Composer and Producer Pascal Guyon, Executive Producer Thomas Feith, Dr. Christine Ibrahim, Celebrity Chef Jason Park (Executive Chef, Maru), Award-Winning Cocktail Chef Matthew Biancaniello (Eat Your Drink), Celebrity DJ Sandra Luesse (actor/director), Keaton Simons (recording artist), The Honorable Michael DiVirgilio (Councilmember, City of Hermosa Beach), Linda Braden (President & CEO, Cornerstone Construction), Antoinette Brown-Leon (Executive Director, The Asomugha Foundation), Rebekah Kim, Deputy (Office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe), Chad Mayer (Executive Director, Sharefest), Gabriela Medina (Deputy, Office of Councilmember Joe Buscaino, City of Los Angeles), Frank Schulz (Managing Principal, The Klabin Company), Jamal Shofani (Vice President, Wells Fargo Company), Dan Simon (Chief Financial Officer, Wedbush Capital), Rick Hopfer (CIO, Molina Healthcare), Rich Brandt (Deputy Chief, Long Beach Fire Department), and Samia Arslane (Editor-in-Chief, GENLUX Magazine).

Event Link:
http://jsk2015.eventbrite.com