THE CROWD:

I find myself constantly preaching that the ingredient missing in American society today is hope. Everywhere you turn, the anger and frustration of hopelessness is expressed, from the simplest reaction of a rude individual standing in line at the post office to the more serious expression of road rage.

Coverage of social and cultural events for the newspaper can at times be somewhat superficial, although even the most frivolous of gatherings often has funds raised that benefit a cause that receives no other assistance.

That said, there are, on occasion, truly inspirational events, events that foster hope and bring people together with a common humanity.

Last week in Orange County, 44 Women for Children, an adjunct of the Orangewood Children’s Foundation, held such an event. The gathering took place at the Samueli Theater, which is part of the Orange County Performing Arts Center’s expanded complex.

Appropriately, Susan Samueli of Corona del Mar — wife of Broadcom co-founder Henry Samueli — founded 44 Women for Children and helped to sponsor the May 16 event in the theater named for her family.

I have been covering this charitable organization for a few years since its inception and have always been impressed by the dedication of the women — and even more impressed by the hands-on nature of the pursuit and the results that it brings.

The group raises money to support children who reach age 18 and are emancipated from the Orange County foster care system. The funds are used to send the young adults to college.

As we all know, the expense of a higher education is enormous, even when there are grants and scholarships and aid provided. The cost of a dorm room alone — forgetting about tuition, fees, books and everything else — would be a daunting task for any young person to overcome without parental support.

Susan Samueli and her associates put their money to outstanding use to help people create a brighter future for us all.

In short, this money translates into a dose of hope, with the power to change the world.

This year’s luncheon event, co-chaired by Karen Goldhirsh and Carolyn McInerney, brought together a full house dedicated to hope. They raised more than $115,000 to support the scholarship program of 44 Women for Children. Event committee members included Jessica Aitken, Donna Fischer, Ann Kilgore, Eve Kornyei, Sue Kreuter, Deb Mallgrave, Yvette McCarthy, Marcia Rosenberg, Lisa Quinn and Karen Wolf.

Underwriting sponsorship for the gathering came from both individuals and corporations, including Acra Aerospace, Union Bank of California, William Lyon Homes, the Samueli Foundation, the Anaheim Ducks, the Honda Center and the Gordon Foundation. Individual donors of note included Pat Poss, Cindy Dillon, Christyne Sutton Olson and the Jaffe Family Foundation.

The purpose of the event was taken to the ultimate level, as guest of honor Erin Gruwell was introduced to the crowd. Gruwell is the teacher from Wilson High School in Long Beach whose experiences working with children — deemed “unteachable” by the system — led to a book titled “The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them.” The book became a critically acclaimed motion picture.

The young teacher from Wilson High School mesmerized her audience as she took them on her life’s journey from a privileged upbringing to the grittiness of trying to reach children who had been discarded by society.

Gruwell said, “There are 150 kids that I mean the world to, and they mean the world to me.” She continued, “In a school district of close to 100,000 teenagers, my 150 students were considered the lowest achievers, and I was assigned to what at first appeared to be the job of a glorified babysitter.”

Gruwell shared that one of her students, Maria, told her that in her short life she had attended more funerals than birthday parties. Another student, Damian, took $25 that his mother had given him with considerable sacrifice to buy school supplies and instead bought a gun with a friend who ended up playing Russian roulette and blowing his head off. Yet another student told the bright-eyed and enthusiastic Gruwell that “sometimes the good guy just doesn’t make it.”

Gruwell refused to be defeated. She decided immediately to turn Room 203 at Wilson High School into a model for change and a place of hope. Gruwell created the mantra “Toast 4 Change” and passed out plastic champagne glasses filled with sparkling apple cider to celebrate any successes achieved in her classroom.

Her positive and unyielding approach was life-changing. For kids who did not know the joy of celebrating anything in their childhood, Gruwell’s unorthodox teaching methods inspired them to reevaluate their past and to break ties with the immense negativity that would keep them from succeeding in life. Her student, Maria, said, “I don’t want to be 15 and pregnant like my mom. I don’t want to be in jail like my dad. And I don’t want to be dead at 18 like my cousin.”

Gruwell quoted Nelson Mandela, telling the audience that “education is the most powerful weapon to change the world.” The book that her students wrote became a best-seller. It is filled with individual essays of life-altering experiences common to so many kids in America today.

Funds from the publication were used to send these kids to college, as well as to help fund Gruwell’s Freedom Writers Foundation, which she continues to lead as it helps to spread the message of hope.

“I gave them hope,” she said, adding, “and they now have wings that will enable them to fly.” The audience gave her a standing ovation and left the theater filled with inspiration and hope that they, too, can still make a difference in society.