9/17/2021
ARCADIA, Calif. -- The USC Arcadia Hospital Foundation is thrilled to announce
that Crystal Ball 2021, featuring The Ultimate Queen Celebration starring
Marc Martel, will return to the Pasadena Convention Center on Saturday,
October 9. The black-tie event will be back in-person once again and will
feature a hosted reception, fine dining, a silent auction, a remarkable
live auction, entertainment and plenty of dancing.
“For this year’s 32nd annual celebration we are delighted to
recognize and honor Aner and Rebecca Iglesias for their leadership and
charitable support of the vital healthcare and healing mission of Methodist
Hospital,” said Mike Driebe, President of the USC Arcadia Hospital
Foundation. “We are also privileged to have previous Crystal Ball
Honoree Patty Nijjar and cardiologist Dr. Heiner Vogelbach as co-chairs
of this great event.”
Proceeds from the 32nd Annual Crystal Ball will support the advanced technology
and innovative treatments our community needs. USC Arcadia Hospital is embarking
on a program to update technology, transform surgical services and take
the next step forward in our constant journey toward unsurpassed quality care.
2021 Crystal Ball Honorees Aner and Rebecca Iglesias.
Co-Chairs Dr. Heiner Vogelbach and Patty Nijjar.
“Healthcare has changed enormously in recent years,” said Driebe.
“Lives that once would have been lost can now be saved. Procedures
that could only be dreamed of are performed routinely. All this is possible
today because USC Arcadia Hospital has the right equipment and facilities
to attract and enable the very best caregivers thanks to advances that
our loyal donors have helped provide.”
Longtime hospital supporters Aner and Rebecca Iglesias are excited about
the event. Mr. Inglesias holds many business interests in the San Gabriel
Valley, and is likely best known as the founder and president of the locally
operated Baja Ranch Market chain which opened its first store in 1979.
Baja Ranch markets are neighborhood grocery stores focused on providing
high-quality food products at the lowest prices while specializing in
distinctive foods from places like the Caribbean, Central America, South
America and Spain.
“We were very humbled when we accepted this honor,” said Inglesias.
“So many wonderful people have been recognized previously since
we’ve been involved with Crystal Ball. When we shared this honor
with our family, they were very, very proud of us.”
Patty Nijjar, a Crystal Ball honoree in 2019, is excited that her close
friends will be recognized this year.
“Aner and I have served together on the Foundation Board of Directors
for about eight years and became fast friends. We do things together with
our families and we treasure their friendship,” Nijjar said. “It’s
going to be a great event. We have a goal to raise $1 million.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Vogelbach, who is a two-time Crystal Ball co-chair, returns
to serve as co-chair one more time. Dr. Vogelbach has been a member of
the USC Arcadia Hospital medical staff since 1983.
“USC Arcadia Hospital is my home away from home,” said Dr. Vogelbach,
who also served on the Foundation Board from 2005 to 2013. “So I’m
very interested in making USC Arcadia Hospital the best hospital it can
be when I’m practicing medicine here. It’s very important
for us to be at the forefront of everything.”
This year’s gala fundraiser is already breaking records with three
generous Title Sponsors Charles Huang Foundation; as well as Aner and
Rebecca Iglesias and Rusnak Auto Group. The hospital is grateful for this
significant support and also to the three Grand Sponsors: Bel Air Investment
Advisors; Panda Restaurant Group, Inc.; and Mickey and Lee Segal &
Alan and Sandy Whitman. With their participation along with that of our
three Crystal Sponsors Chi’s Enterprise, Inc.,
Dick and Sue Hale and Mike and Patty Nijjar, 14 Platinum Sponsors and 27
Gold sponsors, the Crystal Ball Committee organizing the event looks forward
to continuing in the wonderful tradition of this gala as a significant
fundraiser in support of USC Arcadia Hospital.
The entertainment for the evening will be The Ultimate Queen Celebration
starring Marc Martel, who is a vocal doppelgänger for Freddie Mercury,
the late Queen frontman. Martel provided a prominent but invisible role
in the Oscar-winning movie “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which chronicled
the life of Mercury and his Queen bandmates. While the movie employed
many of Mercury’s actual vocals from the Queen archives, it was
Martel’s vocal performance that was used in movie scenes where Mercury’s
vocal was unavailable.
To learn more about Crystal Ball sponsorships or to purchase event tickets,
please go to
www.mhcrystalball.com or contact the USC Arcadia Hospital Foundation at 626-898-8888.
About USC Arcadia Hospital: Founded in 1903, USC Arcadia Hospital is a full-service
community hospital with 348 licensed beds. The hospital offers advanced
cardiovascular services including cardiac catheterization, electrophysiology,
and open-heart surgery. Los Angeles County has designated USC Arcadia Hospital
as both a heart attack and stroke receiving center as well as an Emergency
Department Approved for Pediatrics. The hospital also offers a variety
of services in orthopedics, neurosurgery, obstetrics, and many other medical
specialties. As many as 40,000 patients are treated annually in the Emergency
Department, while the hospital staff delivers more than 1,800 babies annually
and typically has more than 16,000 patient admissions each year.