Media Inquiries
please contact:
media@allstarshelpingkids.org

Hakuna Matata

March 2004

San Francisco Chronicle — Powerful hoofbeats thundered across the tundra when Megan and Harris Barton, Karen and Ronnie Lott and Jennifer and Joe Montana hosted A Night at the Theatre--An Adventure through the Pride Lands. OK, actually it was a jungle-themed tent in the middle of Civic Center Plaza, but it was filled with numerous greats of sports, technology and philanthropy. The festive family party, before a private performance of “The Lion King”, benefited All Stars Helping Kids (founded by the NFL Hall of Famer Lott), Champion Charities, the National Brain Tumor Foundation (Barton's father died of a brain tumor, his mother now suffers from one) and ABC2, another brain cancer research group, founded by Stacy Case, widow of former Hambrecht & Quist chief executive Dan Case.

Among the pride: Barbara and Steve Young, Roger Craig, venture capital guru John Doerr and his wife, Ann; Shawn and Doug MacKenzie; Emily Pottruck (who'd sponsored the attendance of Susan Tom and her 11 adopted children, each with a serious disability); Warriors V.P. Chris Mullin; Nancy Albertini; Sheila O'Conner Burns and most of the members of her family; daughter Sheila McWilliams with her brood and husband, Keith, and his mom, Anne; Sean Burns, Paige Burns and her daughter Fiona, and Jill and Rod Burns.

Kids went wild for face-painting, whoopee cushions and parrot tricks. Elegant Vanessa Getty with son Nicolas Getty, and mom Maryann Opperman with her husband, Jack, -- was a good sport, allowing a parrot to pick seeds off her tongue. “The kids watching couldn't believe it,” Getty said, laughing. “But I'm a mom of two little boys. It didn't even faze me.”

The toughest scrimmage was posing a question to Lott, as he spent most of the party deep in a huddle with fans. When he said goodbye to Denise and Kirk Davis (whom Lott had invited to the event), an opening seemed assured.. Earlier that day, Lott attended the Young Life Banquet (a Bayview-Hunters Point organization Kirk Davis works with), which awarded eight children high school scholarships. “Hey,” said Lott modestly shrugging away the Davis' thanks “if it wasn't for the kids…” His voice trailed off as he generously greeted another phalanx of fans. One shrank to the back of the crow, since whatever clever question was left hanging in midair didn't really seem all that important anymore.