Palm Springs Boys & Girls Club celebrates Halloween, raises $300,000
Under a cloudless evening on Oct. 30, nearly 300 goblins, ghosts and ghouls descended on the Hilton Resort Palm Springs to celebrate the Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs along with two of its honorees: Aftab Dada, general manager of the Hilton Resort Palm Springs, who was recognized by the Boys & Girls Club as the Community Superhero Honoree of 2022, and the Palm Springs Pathfinders Philanthropists, who were named the Champion for Youth Honoree.
The reception, "Be a Hero for Kids Halloween Bash," was completely hosted and paid for by the Hilton Resort Palm Springs, and the Halloween decorations were provided by Jerry Keller of Lulu California Bistro. More than $300,000 was raised from ticket sales and the silent and live auction with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs.
The event was punctuated by shared experiences of club alumni. Silver sponsor Sue Burnside said she attended the Boys & Girls Club as a child; without it, she said, she and her friends would have wandered aimlessly around town. Once at the club, however, she and her friends completed their homework together, had refreshments and played sports.
Craig Borba, chair of Palm Springs Library Trustees and gold sponsor of evening, is dedicated to the Boys & Girls Club because his boys were attendees and had a great experience. One received a scholarship to attend USC.
Jeffery Bernstein observed that the youth of the city are the most important and often most underserved sector of Palm Springs’ residents with few activities and programs were it not for the Boys & Girls Club. He noted that statistics demonstrate 97% of school children are food insecure, and the Boys & Girls Club helps to fill this gap.
Terri Ketover, silver sponsor, commented that funds raised that evening would support more than 1,700 second through 12th graders at the Boys & Girls Club.
Finally, diamond sponsor Ann Sheffer expressed excitement about the Cannabis Education Center. The City of Palm Springs and the Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs together received a $1 million state grant to be used to implement a youth education program that will focus on the individual and systemic impacts of cannabis.
Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs CEO and Executive Director Margaret Keung thanked all board members and reminded guests that the club is the largest after-school provider to second to 12th graders in the valley. As enrollment numbers increase, there is a reduction in the number of youth left alone at home after school.
The Boys & Girls Club is all about physical, mental and emotional well-being for each and every club member. No one goes hungry because of its food program. Club members earn better grades in schools and are less likely to use drugs and get into trouble.
Boys & Girls Club board members attending included Geoff Kors, Bill Scheffler, Ruth Isaak, Adam Gilbert, Bryan Reyes, Dada, John Coladonatol, Vickie Culver, Jeffrey Keane, Maggie Kelley-Matthews, Rocio Montesano-Martinez, Bib Scott, Patrick Service, Jaime Tannenbaum and Kevin Corcoran.
Event Sponsors
Presenting sponsors were Hilton Resort Palm Springs, Spencer’s Restaurant and Wintec Energy LTD. Diamond sponsors were Sheffler and Ann Sheffer and Geoff Kors and James Williamson. Platinum sponsors included Walmart, Lulu California Bistro, Eisenhower Health, Carol Fragen, Tour de Palm Springs, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the City of Palm Springs, Las Casuelas Terraza, David Lee, Palm Springs Hospitality Association, Pacific Premier Bank and Palm Springs Disposal Services.
Community Leaders and Representatives
Among those in attendance were Boys & Girls Club board members Mayor Lisa Middleton, Mayor Pro Tem Grace Garner, Christy Holstege, Harold Matzner, Ralph Kato, Police Chief Andy Mills and Cathy Mills, city attorney Jeff Ballinger, Bart Ketover, Oscar Chamudes, Scott Nevins, Michele Borba, Wil Stiles and Molly Bondhus, Brian Rix, Sid Craig, Ellen Goodman and Bianca de Vries, John Shay, Gerald Levin, Bruce Hobin, Celeste Brackley and Stephanie Fellows.
To learn more about the Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs or to make a donation, visit bgcps.org.
Al Jones was appointed by the city council as a Trustee of the Palm Springs Library, where he serves as its treasurer. He was the former chairman of the Palm Springs International Airport Commission and is a member of the board of directors of Dezart Performs, the CSU Palm Desert Campus Advancement board, the Advisory board of Priority One Coachella Valley and a member of DBA and Main Street. Prior community engagement includes DAP Health Partners for Life Leadership Committee; the LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert, where he served as the Board secretary for five years, and Sanctuary Palm Springs.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs Boys & Girls Club celebrates Halloween, raises $300,000
