Wendi McLendon-Covey arrives at the Raising The Bar To End Parkinson's fundraiser at Laurel Point in Studio City on July 27, 2016. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images)
The
annual event, in partnership with The Michael J. Fox Foundation, took over the
about-to-open seafood restaurant Laurel Point. But Fox's onetime costar Betsy
Brandt had more than food on the brain: "If you're going to donate to a
charity, this is a great charity because the way they put your money to use is
so effective."
Married actors Steve Howey and Sarah Shahi catch up with actor Brady Smith at the Raising The Bar To End Parkinson's fundraiser at Laurel Point in Studio City on July 27, 2016. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images)
Wendi
McLendon-Covey has never met Michael J. Fox, but she shows up for him — even
when he's not around.
The
actress and star of ABC's The Goldbergs stood alongside actors
Betsy Brandt, Missi Pyle, Amanda Crew, Dustin Milligan and June Diane Raphael
as part of the honorary committee for Wednesday night's Raising the Bar to End
Parkinson's fundraiser in partnership with The Michael J. Fox Foundation. And
she told The Hollywood Reporter that her appearance at the
Studio City event — held at not-yet-opened restaurant Laurel Point on Ventura
Boulevard — was way more than a typical step-and-repeat opportunity. This was
personal.
"My
dad has Parkinson's and my husband has it, too," said the actress, who has
been married to Greg Covey since 1996. "So I'm all about the Michael J.
Fox Foundation. My dad has gotten a lot of resources from the foundation. When
he was diagnosed two years ago, he went to the website and followed all the
leads and it helped him contradict what his doctors were telling him as they
weren't being as proactive as they should've been. This foundation has given so
much to my family that when they asked me to get involved, I said, 'Hell yes!'
I'm happy to be involved in any way I can."
Tori Spelling, UTA's Jacob Fenton and Tiffani Thiessen attend the Raising The Bar To End Parkinson's fundraiser at Laurel Point in Studio City on July 27, 2016. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images)
McLendon-Covey
wasn't the only one on the red carpet who has been affected by the chronic
disorder which affects the central nervous system and counts more than 1
million cases in the U.S. currently. Actor Grant Show told THR
that his late father, who passed away three years ago, was afflicted with
Parkinson's. "It's a tough disease — there are no answers to it," he
said.
Organizers
would likely counter Show's statement and say that the solution is raising
money to help scientists and researchers find for a cure. And on that note,
Wednesday night's exclusive peek inside Laurel Point, a new seafood and sushi
concept restaurant from executive chef Phil Kastel (Public School, The Grill on
the Alley), proved to be a success with more than $50,000 raised from a raffle
and silent auction.
"If
you're going to donate to a charity, this is a great charity because the way
they put your money to use is so effective," praised Brandt, who starred
opposite Fox on his The Michael J. Fox Show playing his wife. "If we're
going to cure this disease, it's going to be because of this
foundation."
Jason
Priestley also had nice words to say about his fellow Canadian pal Fox.
"I've had the good fortune of being friends with Mike for some time,"
said Priestley, who now stars on a popular Canadian series Private
Eyes. "And I so admire him as a man for the
way in which he dealt with this disease and how he formed this foundation to
fight it and try to help other people."
Speaking
of other people, Priestley spent part of the party catching up with his onetime
Beverly Hills 90210 costar Tori
Spelling, who attended the event with husband Dean McDermott. The two posed for
photos but skipped interviews on the press line, instead heading straight
inside the bash where they caught up with fellow attendees like Tiffani
Thiessen, Minka Kelly, Naya Rivera, Ryan Dorsey, Josh Radnor, Steve Howey,
Sarah Shahi, Chelsea Kane, Josh Peck, Hunter Parrish and Jake McDorman.
Fox's Back to the Future
costar Lea Thompson also made the rounds.
Though
THR never spotted her drinking one of the
night's speciality cocktails, it's possible the actress sipped on one of two
exclusive drinks created by mixologist Danny Natali: the Teen Wolf
Summer with Corralejo Tequila Blanco, cilantro and lime, and the Save the
Clock Tower with Three Olives Vodka, watermelon, mint and lime. Food options
included on K-Town crispy chicken sidekicks, seasonal oysters with yuzu
kosho mignonette, crab deviled eggs with smoked roe, crab and hamachi
rolls, and chocolate tars with maldon sea salt. The general public can sample
the menu when the restaurant officially opens on Aug. 1.
The
packed room and the attendees' generosity made Veronique Enos Kaefer,
director of advancement for The Michael J. Fox Foundation, catch her breath.
"The people who are on this committee, they reach out and the whole
community comes together and they raise a ton of money and it all goes to
research," she said. "We couldn't be more grateful."
Lea Thompson arrives at the Raising The Bar To End Parkinson's event at Laurel Point in Studio City on July 27, 2016. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/WireImage)
Many
of those in attendance also said they were feeling grateful, too, but theirs
was directed at UTA agent Jacob Fenton, who is married to Kastel. He
helped with the heavy lifting for the event, inviting many of his clients and
industry friends on behalf of the foundation and its efforts in finding a
cure.
And
while they do that, McLendon-Covey said that she and her family will continue
to lean on the efforts of Fox and friends. "You can't mend this thing, but
you can manage it."
http://health.einnews.com/article/337384842/6mQJscpdIG8wg_PU
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