Organizers of a party set for Wednesday at the Balboa Bay Club and Resort are hoping to boost fundraising efforts to get a bronze statute of Newport Beach lifeguard Ben Carlson up at the Newport Pier.
Carlson died during a July rescue in big surf, and the community has since rallied to try to erect a memorial in his honor. His death was the first in the nearly 100-year history of Newport Beach lifeguards.
Friends and supporters created the Ben Carlson Foundation, in part to get the statue created. Online efforts had started to stall, raising $13,775 of the $125,000 needed for the memorial. Since then, several fundraisers have been successful. So far, about $70,000 has been raised.
John Wortmann, chairman of the board of governors with the Balboa Bay Club, hopes to raise more on Wednesday. Wortmann helped put on a fundraising event at 3Thirty3 Waterfront in April, and said the parking lot was gridlocked.
“At this one, I don’t expect any less. I expect hundreds of people.”
The Ben Carlson Foundation also gives out two $10,000 scholarships each year. It recently announced that Ellie Cherryhomes, a high school senior from Texas, and Sina Riahi, a junior at San Francisco State University, were picked for the awards.
The free Balboa Bay Club event will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at A&O Kitchen+Bar. There will be celebrity bartenders, including retired Angels pitcher Chuck Finley. For more info, visit bencarlsonfoundation.org.
Contact the writer: lconnelly@ocregister.com
