GIVING NEW HOPE

Linda and Alexander Cappello were honored by the board of trustees and the council of the Children's Burn Foundation at the Giving New Hope gala held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 19 to benefit the Sherman Oaks-based recovery center for young burn survivors.

Linda Cappello is a dedicated board member of the council and also serves on the boards of the International Medical Corps, a global relief agency, and Las Floristas, which supports Handicapped Children's Clinics of Rancho Los Amigos National Medical Center in Downey. Along with her membership in the Blue Ribbon of the Music Center and the Friends of Heritage Preservation, she and Alex chair the Tradition of Hope Gala to benefit Augie's Quest, the Muscular Dystrophy/ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) initiative.

Alex Cappello is founder and CEO of The Cappello Group, a global merchant bank operating in 50 countries, which he launched while a student at USC's Marshall School of Business.

He is international chairman emeritus of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO). As a member of the USC board of trustees, he has led the local YPO chapter in establishing an endowment fund for scholarships for MBA students at USC and UCLA. His company offers numerous internships to business students.

Along with the above, he is vice chairman of the Marymount College board of trustees and serves on the boards of the Pacific Council on International Policy, Rand's Center for Middle East Public Policy, the Rand Russian Forum, and is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, City of Hope, the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation, ALS Therapy Development Institute, Patriotic Defense Group and the Friends of Florence. Alex is also chairman emeritus of Catholic Big Brothers & Sisters of Los Angeles.

An avid fine art collector and voracious reader, Alex cites Leonardo da Vinci as his lifelong inspiration. His friends have characterized him as a Renaissance man.

"I do have a passion for quality things," he said, "They hold their value. As for the `Renaissance-man' reference, my professional philosophy is that there isn't a business that doesn't benefit from a rebirth."

KNBC-4 weathercaster Fritz Coleman emceed the event, which was co-chaired by the Billers along with Debby and Paul Hopper, Suzanne and Ric Kayne and Lindsey Kozberg.

pattdiroll@charter.net

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