Picnic bash, silent auction to raise funds for Cambodian orphanage

FOR THE KIDS—Above, Hannah McCoy, Aaron Horwitz, Bryan Wiedenheft and Carly Croick are founders of the nonprofit WhoWillWeWill Foundation that is hosting a fundraiser to support a Cambodian orphange. At right are some of the orphans. A small group of local men and women are attempting to make a big impact on Cambodian orphans.

A fundraiser called "The Feast 3.0" will be hosted by Agoura High School alumni Aaron Horwitz, 25, and Carly Croick, 26, along with Bryan Wiedenheft, a graduate of Oak Park High, and Atlanta, Ga., resident Hannah McCoy, 24. The event will take place from noon to dusk Sat., Nov. 15 at Woodley Park in Van Nuys.

The "Feast" is the third such party hosted by the foursome. Since the second event in January, the group has established a nonprofit organization, Who Will We Will, to boost donations to the Lighthouse Orphanage in Cambodia.

For $20, guests will be treated to a picnic dinner courtesy of Fab's Corner Cucina in Sherman Oaks. A variety of activities will be offered, including a ride in a "human hamster ball," a competition in a 100foot inflatable obstacle course and a psychic reading. Music will be provided by a DJ.

A silent auction will offer items that include an electric guitar signed by the Jonas Brothers, memorabilia from the film "The Dark Knight" and a script from the movie "A Beautiful Mind" signed by screenwriter Akiva Goldsman. Massages, dinners at local restaurants and other items will also be auctioned.

The first feast was held in 2006 and attracted about 20 people, Horwitz said. Profits from the holiday dinner were funneled to Schools on Wheels, a Los Angeles-based charity. With skimpy profits after reimbursements for food, the group reorganized, doubled their guest list, upped the price to $15 per person and invited a popular band to perform.

The group decided to support the Lighthouse Orphanage in the second year.

The orphanage has been described by Who Will We Will members as "a small little place outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia, that houses 72 children that badly need our help."

The second dinner raised $1,000, enough money to supply the orphanage with fruit and vegetables for a year, Horwitz said.

"This year, instead of just giving to the orphanage, we are trying to raise funds to build a new one," Horwitz said. The cost to build a new orphanage is $7,000, Horwitz said, the amount they hope to raise at The Feast 3.0. The proceeds will go to the Children's Village Project, which will handle the construction of the new orphanage.

Guests are encouraged to bring their own blankets since picnic tables will fill up quickly.

For further information, visit www.whowillwewill.com. Donations can be made online.