Yard Work!

It was the stuff of summer cookout dreams when 150 philanthropists filled the rustic yet hip Boathouse Collective for Project Hope Alliance’s Backyard Bash. Cafe lights sparkled overhead as partyers—think nonprofit founder Jennifer Friend and gallerist Brett Rubbico—noshed on a farm-to-table dinner and nibbled orbs of sugary goodness from the doughnut bar. Auctions kept the scene lively. (A $50 bill went for $1,000!) And tunes from the Tijuana Dogs floated through the air. By the time the festivities drew to a close, the total hit $52,000—enough to secure permanent housing for 35 children in O.C. Good neighbors, most certainly. –Photos by Ann Chatillon