On Monday, February 1, Venice Family Clinic hosted its
28th annual gala to thank members of Silver Circle, the
Clinic's premier giving group, for their generous support,
as well as to pay tribute to three individuals who have
made extraordinary contributions to furthering the
Clinic's mission.
Lou Colen was honored with the 2010 Humanitarian
Award. It is estimated that he and his late wife, Irma, for
whom the Leadership Award is named, raised $30 million
for Venice Family Clinic between 1979 and 2006. Most
recently, Lou made a $1,000,000 gift to name Venice
Family Clinic's new site in Mar Vista, the Colen Family
Health Center.
The husband-and-wife team of Dr. Neal Baer and Gerrie
Smith received the 2010 Irma Colen Leadership Award.
Dr. Baer is best known as Executive Producer of the hit
NBC series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, whose
storylines have raised national awareness of a
multitude of medical issues, including the plight
of the uninsured. Gerrie has spent years working at
the individual and community levels, improving
education, housing, and food security in Africa.
Mariska Hargitay, who plays Detective Olivia
Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, emceed the evening, which also featured
appearances by her co-star, Ice-T, and Dr. Baer's
cousin, singer-songwriter Jill Sobule.
For the fourth consecutive year, Silver Circle members
collectively contributed more than $1 million. Net
proceeds totaled more than $900,000.
Co-Chairs
Harley Liker, MD
Julie Liker
