Social Circuit

Steven Spielberg, film director and founder of the USC Shoah Foundation Institute, was in town May 9 to present the institute's Ambassador for Humanity Award to Brian L. Roberts, chairman and chief executive officer of Comcast, at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel. Established by Spielberg in 1994, the institute has an archive of nearly 52,000 video testimonies of Holocaust survivors and other witnesses from 56 countries. Among the fund-raiser's 700 guests were event cochairs Sandy and Steve Cozen; vice chair Rena Rowan Damone; benefit committee chairs Rhonda and David Cohen and Marcy Gringlas and her husband, Joel Green- berg; and singer Jon Bon Jovi, who performed "Who Says You Can't Go Home" and "Livin' on a Prayer."

Philadelphia Academies Inc. president Lisa Nutter, wife of Mayor Nutter, hosted the nonprofit's annual fund-raiser April 30 at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel. The evening for 420 guests featured dancing to Michael Nash Entertainment, as well as awards presentations to Daniel K. Fitzpatrick of Citizens Bank and Shinelle Superville, a 2007 graduate of the Business and Technology Academy at Kensington International High School. The honorary event cochairs were Susan Taylor, founder of Essence magazine; Wes Moore; and Steve Powers. The Party 2011 raised $266,000 for the nonprofit, which has 10 career academies in 16 Philadelphia public high schools.

The Franklin Institute awarded its $250,000 Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science to genetic researcher George Church of Harvard Medical School on April 28 at the museum's annual Franklin Institute Awards Ceremony. The black-tie dinner for nearly 650 guests also honored seven other scientists, including Dean Kamen, founder of the DEKA Research and Development Corp. and inventor of the Segway. The event, which received lead support from Bank of America, netted more than $530,000 for the museum. Robert J. Hall and Andrea Freundlich were cochairs of the fund-raiser.

Phillies second baseman Chase Utley and his wife, Jennifer, hosted their fourth annual Utley All-Star Animals Casino Night on April 28 at the Electric Factory. A day at Citizens Bank Park, including batting lessons for eight with Utley, was the top auction item, going for $16,000. Also auctioned were a spring training trip for two to Clearwater, Fla., which went for $8,000, and a walk-on role on FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia ($5,000). On deck to lend a hand at the gaming tables were Phillies players Roy Halladay, Brad Lidge, Danys Baez, John Mayberry, Ryan Howard, and Shane Victorino. The benefit for 500 raised more than $320,000 for the Pennsylvania SPCA.

The Washington-based Leon H. Sullivan Foundation held a cocktail reception for 120 guests Friday at the R2L restaurant. Among the event's 120 guests was former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young, the foundation's board chair. Hosted by Hope Sullivan Masters, daughter of the Rev. Leon H. Sullivan and head of the foundation, the party marked the launch of the foundation's One Africa: Leon H. Sullivan Summit IX, to be held in October in Morocco. The five-day summit, created by Leon Sullivan in 1991, is expected to attract up to 4,000 participants from Africa, as well as 500 from the United States, to help African nations increase their participation in the global economy.