The Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center hosted its 2025 Celebrity Waiter dinner fundraiser at Bella Vida on Saturday night.
The theme of the night was “Broadway Lights” and attendees wore costumes from all different types of Broadway plays.
As guests walked through the lobby, they were greeted with the smell of coffee, jumbo pretzels with mustard and popcorn – almost like they were walking down the streets of New York on the way to Broadway to get to the grand ballroom at Bella Vida.
“We need the funding to keep our programs going. It’s a large gap in our funding from all our different sources, and this helps us bridge that gap. And what we want to do is share with the community a fun time at Bella Vida,” said Kevin MacDonald, CEO of the Senior Center.
The event helps raise money for many programs at the Senior Center including Meals on Wheels, Support Services (their social work program), their handiwork program and their daily operations.
“Our support from the community is tremendous, and we were very, very grateful and tonight, we thank our volunteers. It’s Volunteer Appreciation Week, so tonight we’ll be honoring our volunteers,” MacDonald said.
The night hosted almost 300 guests, with each table having a Broadway theme.
Themes for the tables included “The Phantom of the Opera,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Lion King,” “Wicked” and “Grease,” among others.
The co-chairs of the evening were Sharlene Johnson, dressed as Glinda the Good Witch from “Wicked,” and Jackie Hartmann as a member of Ravenclaw from “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”
Johnson was a first-time co-chair of the event and was just excited for guests to enjoy their time at the Senior Center.
“Just being around everybody that has the same passion and love for our seniors in Santa Clarita and giving them a place to go and have friends and camaraderie and memories and we keep doing that. So, that’s what this event does,” Johnson said while looking at her co-chair, smiling.
Inside the ballroom, Michael B. Levin sang Broadway tunes all night and guests enjoyed each other’s company and the dinner provided by the Senior Center’s chefs.
After the event, MacDonald said the fundraiser was a huge success and was an exceptional year for the organization.
