When the event committee of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley, headed by its dedicated chair of eleven years, Sandy Taylor, presented the annual gala fundraiser as the “grandest auction,” it wasn’t kidding.
Hundreds of silent auction items, lining table after table filled one large ballroom in the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa the evening of March 12. A few hours later, located in another beautifully decorated ballroom, 450 guests enjoyed dinner while participating in a live auction that included 28 prized offerings.
All the above, along with matching bid donations, allowed Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley to raise more than a million dollars to help off-set its $3.5 million annual budget. The nonprofit operates four busy east valley clubhouses and offers after-school programs, services and nutritious hot meals to more than 6,000 children every year. The results are astounding: 96% of club seniors complete high school and 80% go on to attend college. Many of the alumni return to give back and serve their home communities.
“We depend on contributions from fundraisers like this one, individuals, grants, corporations and foundations,” said President and CEO Quinton Egson. “I have attended all 40 of our annual auctions, and this is probably the best of them all. It was great to see so many smiling faces. It was fitting and proper to recognize Joan and John Foster and their families. They are the cornerstone of our organization. Thank you to all who made the evening magical and beneficial for our kids.”
Master of Ceremonies and board member Brian Harnik kept the nonstop evening of energetic bidding running smoothly. After dessert, singer Ruben Studdard, second season "American Idol" winner and a Boys & Girls Club alumni from Central Alabama, took to the stage. Studdard had the opportunity to tour the La Quinta Clubhouse the day before.
“I’m a club kid, so for me, it is always cool to get the opportunity to take a trip down memory lane,” Studdard said. “There are very few places where parents can be sure that their kids are safe, have fun and learn in a structured environment. I really enjoyed my visit. There was a kid at the La Quinta club who beat me in foosball, and that never happens. The main thing for me is to encourage people to donate to Boys & Girls Clubs as it clearly changes the lives of these kids for the better.”
Sponsors for the event included the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation, Mathis Brothers Furniture, Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, Honda of the Desert, Toyota of the Desert, Denise Maddux, Prime Time International, Kaiser Permanente, Anthony Vineyards, Peter Hammond and Margo Ritter, Shields Date Garden, Vintage Nursery, W.D. Young & Sons, Tammy and George Kirkjan, Moller’s Garden Center and KESQ-TV Channel 3.
Those in attendance included Mel and Julie Williams, Jeff Foster, Mary Foster-Durnin, Joe and Laura Foster, Jim Davis and Patty Foster-Davis, Tom Foster, Ed and Lynn Foster, Casey Taylor, Sandy and Jeff Taylor, JoAnn and Mark Nickerson, Mike and Ellen Way, Travis Erwin, Joan Lizza, Pat and Tricia Lizza, Jim and Janet Gianulias, Julie and Tim Stupka, Judy and Jerry Alhadeff, Birgit Moller, Bev and Jim Ducatte, Bonnie and Mike Holloway, Kathy and John O’Keefe, Pat Davenport, Susan and Leroy Holt, Terrie and Dave Mileski, Glenna and Greg Helm, Catharine Reed, Lisa and John Ford, Dina and Mike Dargis, Connie and Bob Lurie, Fay McClung, Jack Mettler and Lonna Wais, Suzie Burt, Nancy and Tom Cunningham, Diane and Doug Corbishley, Nancy and Lee Osborne, Dick Shalhoub and Tracy Smith, Lindy and Gary Sitzmann, Carol and Roy Whitfield, Maureen Liebman, the Powell Family/Peter Rabbit Farms, Tammy and Eddie Windsor/Champion of Life Church, Edeltraud McCarthy and many more. Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley is very grateful to everyone who participated.
For more information, visit bgcofcv.org.
DeAnn Lubell, writer, novelist and publicist, has represented nonprofits and businesses in the areas of marketing, event planning and fundraising productions in the Coachella Valley since 1991. She has served as a publicist for the McCallum Theatre since 2016 and is a PR and marketing representative for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley and Read With Me Volunteer Programs as well as her own newly founded nonprofit Amy's Purpose, an educational pet safety and predator awareness and counseling service.