Shopping the Day Away

SPRING 2019 (Florida Coast Magazine) – Hearing the words “Shopping” and “Mario Lopez” in the same sentence may provoke a certain number of us to grab our purses, wipe the sweat from our brows, and head for The Breakers. February 28, 2019 saw such an occurrence with the Cancer Alliance of Help & Hope (CAHH) holding an event called “Shop The Day Away Luncheon,” where actor/TV host/author, Mario Lopez attended as keynote speaker.  

Pulling up to The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach as swiftly as possible, the first obstacle was to elegantly exit the Jeep after clambering over the kids’ action figures, Cheerios, and leftover school projects. After the valet drove away, that soon became a distant nightmare as the grandeur of The Breakers diminished the events moments before.

The Palm Beach society was out in all its sockless, crested loafers, and pastel-colored glory to support this amazing charity by bidding on items donated from the world’s finest designers. All proceeds from the luncheon supported CAHH’s mission of assisting local children, adults, and families affected by cancer, and the subsequent bills accumulate during the treatment and recovery process, making this a very special auction.

After two hours of bidding, it was time to enter the Grand Ballroom for lunch. Ladies and gentlemen headed to their designated tables excited to see who they would be sitting next to. Our Florida Coast Magazine crew sat next to some delightful women, all in the designer fashion trade. Attendees were wowed by beautiful center pieces—from orchids to tulips and a goodie bag on each chair in addition to a wonderful gift of a Stefano Laviano scarf.

Following a scrumptious lunch, elation swept through the room as Mario Lopez began his speech. Lopez originally shot to fame after playing A.C. Slater on the teen sitcom Saved by the Bell in 1989, and has since appeared in several movies and hit TV series, hosted his own Emmy-winning show, written a number of successful books, and even reached the finals in the TV show Dancing with the Stars.  

Lopez gave a heartfelt speech where he introduced a cancer survivor in the audience, which erupted into applause when hearing of her triumphant recovery. Lopez also spoke of his sadness from losing people he has personally been close to to this terrible disease.

As the day proceeded, there were many announcements from various board members of the charity to a local news reporter who interviewed Lopez on the ballroom stage.

Mario Lopez then spent a half hour having photos taken with attendees who had donated extra to be introduced to the star. Even though he had taken an overnight flight from his California residence, he seemed more than happy to pose with each person, as they eagerly fluffed up their hair, straightened out their dress or bow tie and gave a “Palm Beach” pose for the camera.

Afterwards, Mario Lopez took an extra few minutes to sit down and chat with the Florida Coast Magazine team. He spoke of the charity and how he loved to be a spokesperson for such a good cause. “Any opportunity I get to come to Palm Beach, I do,” he begins. “I love it here—and being here for such a great charity makes it even more special.” On asking him how he manages to juggle a career and family, he smiled and says, “My wife Courtney and I have two children, Gia and Dominic, and we are expecting our third. I am so lucky to have a supportive wife and family who lives close by to help us out. It gets tough, but we manage to do it all.”

Quizzing Lopez if he would choose the same career path given the opportunity to do it all again, he sits up and says, “I would—this is what I was meant to do. If there was something else, I would have been in news. I love the news, especially politics.” The conversation was endearing and Mario Lopez really is a nice all-around, good guy.  

Before we concluded, there was one question that had to be asked: “When will you be bringing back the hair mullet that was made famous on the eighties show”? Lopez, a little shocked but also showing his fun side laughed and replied, “I don’t know…I think I’m maybe a little old for that look now. Maybe I should have my son grow one.”

The day had been one of excitement, extravagance, tears, and laughter. As our old Jeep pulled into valet, surrounded by Bentley’s, the comfort one took from this event is that there are a lot of good people in this world. Whether it’s those who work relentlessly for the Cancer Alliance, or the star that gave his precious time, it was a time to reassess what’s important: family, love, and caring for each other.  

The day was dedicated to Judi Richards, former Board member of The Cancer Alliance of Help & Hope’s who after a 13-year battle with cancer on January 7, 2019. She was well loved and admired by all who knew her.