The Country Friends (TCF), recently announced that longtime community leader Sandra Maas will serve as honorary chair of the nonprofit’s annual Art of Fashion runway show and luncheon on Sept. 11 at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. South Coast Plaza, event partner for the 21st straight year, will feature fabulous fall fashion from its collection of luxury retailers and international designers, according to a news release.
Community volunteer Sophia Alsadek and Anna Laurel, an anchor and reporter at KFMB-TV/News8, are co-chairs of the event which draws hundreds of attendees to The Inn’s lawn to sip, shop and raise funds for dozens of nonprofits. KGTV/10News anchor Kimberly Hunt will once again grace the stage as emcee.
“The Country Friends Board of Directors selected Sandra as honoree because of her long commitment to the San Diego County community,” notes Janean Stripe, TCF’s board president, in the news release. “We are thrilled that she will us at The Art of Fashion, where we will celebrate her many accomplishments.”
Maas is past board president of the Women’s Museum of California and founding host of the Emmy Award-winning video series “Trailblazing Women.” Honored as a San Diego “Woman of Distinction” by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria in 2023 and as a “Woman of Influence” by the San Diego Business Journal in 2021, she is a popular public speaker and . The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary recognized her as a “Woman of Dedication” in 2016 for her philanthropic work.
Maas currently serves as a trustee of the San Diego History Center and liaison for the Women’s Museum of California. She is on the board of the Matthews Foundation and is a member of the Corporate Directors Forum. Maas has also served on boards for The Salvation Army, Rady Children’s Hospital Auxiliary, Trojan League Associates of San Diego County, and the Torrey Pines High School Foundation, and has raised funds and awareness for numerous nonprofits.
A broadcast veteran, her anchoring and reporting for KFMB-TV and KUSI-TV, where Maas developed medical franchises, have earned numerous awards from media organizations and honors from the San Diego County Medical Society. Maas currently heads up a film team producing stories related to health care. She and her husband Jim were high school sweethearts and both graduated from the California State University, Chico. They have a grown son and daughter and are first-time grandparents to baby Lily.
Alsadek, known unofficially as the “Mayor of Rancho Santa Fe,” is a longtime resident and community volunteer for many causes, including the RSF Rotary Club and the Osuna Committee for the Rancho Santa Fe Association. She earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in systems engineering at the University of Southern California. After graduation, she worked in technical and systems tests for Motorola and the Hughes Space and Communications Group.
Alsadek and her husband Louay have two grown sons, and Georgia, a granddaughter whom she calls “the cutest pink peanut in the world.” Alsadek enjoys walking the Ranch’s beautiful trails with Andorra, her Great Pyrenees rescue dog. And, yes, she plays pickleball.
Laurel, an award-winning news anchor and reporter at KFMB-TV/News8, is known for her incisive storytelling and deep commitment to giving people a voice. As the daughter of a Southern Baptist preacher, she grew up with a broad world view, one that continues to shape her journalism today.
A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Laurel reported for television stations in Missoula, Montana; Phoenix, Arizona; and Raleigh, North Carolina before returning to California. Devoted to her young daughter Nyla, she is now balancing the joys of motherhood with the fast-paced world of journalism. Laurel has a ion for meeting people, sharing their stories and amplifying voices that she believes need to be heard.
Emcee Kimberly Hunt is a 13-time Emmy award-winning anchor for ABC/10 News, who has covered political conventions, Super Bowls, and the Academy Awards. She has interviewed sitting presidents, politicians, and Hollywood stars. Hunt has also earned accolades for hard-hitting stories dealing with drug cartels, sex trafficking, and dangerous chemicals in the Tijuana River, to name just a few.
Hunt is married to former NFL linebacker Billy Ray Smith. They have one daughter, Savannah, and as a family are committed to many nonprofits that benefit the military, law enforcement, medical research, the homeless, and children’s charities. She graduated with honors from San Francisco State University.
The 2025 Art of Fashion will include a champagne reception, runway show, luncheon, opportunity drawing, live auction, and boutique shopping at South Coast Plaza mini-boutiques set up on The Inn’s lawn. To buy tickets or become a patron, visit the countryfriends.org or call 858-756-1192.
The Country Friends, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization formed 71 years ago, has provided $15 million to San Diego-based charities that provide essential services to women, children, the elderly, military families, and persons with disabilities, the news release stated. The organization raises funds primarily through the annual Art of Fashion runway show and luncheon, and proceeds from its Rancho Santa Fe Consignment Shop, specializing in exquisite furniture and home accessories. The organization remains steadfast in its mission: “Helping San Diegans since 1954: One Hand at a Time.”
