TOWN:Amore with a Neapolitan flair

According to the lyrics of Dean Martin's song, "That's Amore," the king of Napoli is love. And how could anyone help but to have the greatest affection for the Italian city that gave citizens of the world one of its greatest passions — pizza.

Members of La Providencia Guild of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles transformed The Castaway's Starlight Ballroom into a Neapolitan ristorante Friday night as they welcomed more than 300 members and supporters to their 58th annual cotillion.

Staged under the theme "A Night in Napoli," attendees were greeted by mandolinist Evan Marshall, the organization's president, Judy Pierce, and the evening's co-chairwomen, Nancy Johnson and Irene Terusa.

Once inside, it was clear that amore was in fact in the air as guild members showed their love and appreciation for the work being done by Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. This year, the guild has focused its fundraising efforts on the hospital's Orthopaedic Center's endowment fund and capital projects that will include a new building.

Offering one of the nation's most comprehensive pediatric musculoskeletal care facilities, the Orthopaedic Center relies on an endowment fund to support faculty, research, education programs and new equipment. The hospital has also unveiled plans to begin building a new state-of-the-art facility with groundbreaking scheduled for 2008.

The new hospital, that will offer the finest medical and surgical environment for seriously ill and injured children, will include a multitude of amenities such as private and semi-private rooms and a family area designed for parents to be able to spend the night.

Among those mixing and mingling at Friday's event were John and Mary Jo Hjelmstrom, former Burbank Mayor Bob Bowne and his wife, Dianne, Walt and Lynne Meares, Ron Spang, Bob and Marj Overstreet, Joe Terranova, Tim and Paula Davis, Walter Gragg, David and Krystyna Hackett, Tami Sagona, Ken Wainwright and his wife, Bea, Richard and Lynda Willner, Harry and Diane Campbell, Dean Shelby and Hubert Pierce.