By Mary O’KEEFE

The Guild of Adventist Health Glendale set sail, figuratively, on Friday at its “Be Our Valentine” luncheon.
The nautical theme merged with Valentine’s Day due to the special guests, Bernie Kopell, who portrayed Dr. Adam Bricker on the television series “The Love Boat,” and the show’s writer and creator of the series Jeraldine Saunders.
The idea for “The Love Boat” came from a book written by Saunders that chronicled her time as the first full-time female cruise director.
“Who knew that when she was writing down her experiences as a cruise director it would end up with this franchise?” Kopell said. “‘The Love Boat’ is seen in 122 countries.”
It was Saunders who also came up with the idea of the Valentine’s Day luncheon to support the hospital.
“I was at lunch with Alice [Petrossian, Foundation Guild board president]. I asked her if she would like to have a Valentine luncheon,” Saunders said.
Petrossian thought it was a great idea. Saunders then donated 300 cruise diaries that were placed on each place setting and invited her friend Kopell to join her. Saunders’ ties to the hospital go back some time.
“I had my baby here at Glendale Adventist in 1943,” she said.
Kopell and Saunders were very gracious as they sat for photo after photo taken with and by fans and friends prior to the start of the luncheon.
Although it was fun for so many to get up close and personal with “The Love Boat” legends, no one forgot why they were there – to support the hospital.
Irene Bourdon, president of Adventist Health Glendale Foundation, said she had only been with the hospital a few years but that coming to Adventist was a specific choice, not just because of the medical staff and patients, but also because of the volunteerism that supports the hospital.
The day’s funds were dedicated to the Play to Learn Center. The center focuses on the needs of children and includes physical, occupational and speech therapy. The center encourages involvement in therapy by the entire family with observation rooms for parents where they, along with their children, can learn developmental skills to practice at home. It offers several programs including high-risk infant follow-up appointments, school assessment, pool therapy and day camp programs.
The luncheon was held at the Oakmont Country Club in Glendale and provided several ways for participants to support the hospital. Booths had items for sale from jewelry to tableware and silent auction baskets lined nearby tables.
For more information on The Guild, the Play to Learn Center and Adventist Health Hospital, visit www.adventisthealth.org or call the hospital’s main number at (818) 409-8000.