Best Buddies Organization

You sense a natural affinity between Karen Hess and Renee Widera. "We do things together. We talk all the time. Renee is very special and I love her," says Hess, 18, a student in Corona del Mar High's program for the developmentally disabled. Her 1 1/2-year-old friendship with Widera, a UC Irvine biology junior, may have an everyday ordinariness about it, but it's far from conventional.

You sense a natural affinity between Karen Hess and Renee Widera. "We do things together. We talk all the time. Renee is very special and I love her," says Hess, 18, a student in Corona del Mar High's program for the developmentally disabled. Her 1 1/2-year-old friendship with Widera, a UC Irvine biology junior, may have an everyday ordinariness about it, but it's far from conventional.

Wait a minute. We thought acoustic pop songstress Lisa Loeb (1) was supposed to be providing the musical entertainment at a recent fund-raising gala hosted by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, founder of the nonprofit Best Buddies organization. Apparently, William H. Macy (2) was also up to the task--he picked up a ukulele and hit the stage for an impromptu performance of "Over the Rainbow."

Best Buddies, an organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of the mentally handicapped, needs volunteers for its Citizen Buddy program for twice-monthly visits. Information: Volunteer Center, South Bay-Harbor-Long Beach, (310) 212-5009. * American Red Cross, Torrance branch, needs clerical assistance. Also, training is provided to those interested in teaching CPR or helping with the disaster relief program. Information: Volunteer Center, South Bay-Harbor-Long Beach, (310) 212-5009.

Cindra and Alan Ladd Jr. hosted a fund-raiser at their home June 1, which raised $500,000 for the Children's Health Environment Coalition, founded by Nancy and James Chuda, whose 5-year-old daughter died of a rare cancer caused by an environmental toxic substance. Cynthia Palmer Gershman received the evening's Angel Award for her support. . . .

"I never thought I'd be one of those women who had a relationship with her interior designer," Gigi Levangie Grazer says. She is standing in the kitchen of her Pacific Palisades home, surrounded by honed limestone counters and cabinets painted the color of fresh hollandaise.