It was a perfect night. Mildly cool temperatures, starry skies, twinkling lights strung above the crowd... and laughter. Plenty of laughter.

This was the scene of the Second Annual TPRF Golf Tournament, Dinner and Concert, a marquee fundraising event for The Prem Rawat Foundation.

It began early Saturday morning, July 28, at the Malibu Golf & Country Club, located in Malibu, California. The golf course itself is picturesque—a gently rolling landscape, dotted with trees, surrounded by the Santa Monica Mountains.

The opening event was the Inner Game Golf Clinic, led by Tim Gallwey, author of the best-selling Inner Game books. After the clinic, there was a barbecue lunch (one gets hungry hitting golf balls, after all!), and then it was tee time.

The evening event started about 5 p.m., as non-golfing guests arrived to join the festivities. Before dinner, four hundred patrons mingled among the white-clothed tables set on a wide expanse of grass near the clubhouse. Many also browsed the TPRF information table and the up-coming auction items, including two stunning photographs by TPRF Founder Prem Rawat. Prem Rawat’s daughter, Daya Rawat, also contributed photographs to the auction.

Dinner was served buffet style. A mouth-watering variety of salads and entrees was offered, with fresh strawberries and miniature cupcakes for dessert.

As the sun descended and washed the surroundings with a soft glow, activity stirred at the small podium set up in front of the crowd. Gallwey started the evening by presenting tournament awards for the best golfers. Each winner received a smartly designed trophy topped with a glass golf ball.

Next came TPRF President Linda Pascotto. She spoke candidly about her experience working with TPRF and Prem Rawat’s long range vision of bringing hope and changing lives.

One heartwarming story, in particular, touched the audience. While touring the then newly opened Food for People program in India, Linda met a destitute child who was too weak to attend school. When she returned to the site a year later, the child was in school and had become strong and healthy. Linda just learned that that same child, now grown up, is about to enter college, the trajectory of a once bleak destiny completely changed.

Master of Ceremonies for the evening was Actor Michael Nouri. Sporting a yellow plaid jacket (yep, yellow) and a bright green tie, he looked the part of both carnival barker and old-time auctioneer. And he didn’t disappoint. With his acute sense of humor, he kept things lively and thoroughly entertaining throughout the night.

Between hilarious banter (Nouri, “I’ll throw in my jacket and tie for a higher bid!”) and more than a few jokes (best not be retold here), a record $194,000 was raised for TPRF at the event.

TPRF Fundraising Director Kathya Bustamante was pleased with the result. “After several weeks of working with a brilliant team, all the pieces just fell into place,” she said. “And the result was a magical evening of fun for a great cause. The credit goes to the enthusiastic support of eighteen sponsors as well as numerous volunteers.

The evening concluded with a much-anticipated concert by Daya Rawat. Dressed in a teal green gown, she wowed the crowd with her sultry tones and passionate phrasing. Each song was preceded by her recount of the song’s history, including two songs that were written by her father.

First time attendee Susan Walsh said, “It was a very enjoyable experience. It brought home to me the uniqueness of TPRF. It’s not like other foundations. It offers everything you need...food, water and peace.”

Click here for a slideshow of the event and list of sponsors.