Boys & Girls Club Hits All-Time High, $115K
Last updated 3/25/2019 at 1:23pm
Jolene Nacapuy
The golfers came off the course in high spirits. Their laughter was contagious. Miss Borrego Dennise Cecena hit every high note of the Star Spangled Banner and left the room in goosebump heaven. The silent auction bids rose steadily. The live auction hands flew up so quickly it was hard to keep track. The donation pledge cards were handed in with hardly an ask. What was in the wine? Obviously a strong dose of generosity, philanthropy and a sincere appreciation and understanding of the life-changing work of our local Boys and Girls Club.
San Diego Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Danny Sherlock, sat dumbfounded and grinning from ear to ear as locals, as well as supporters from "over the hill" pulled off the most successful Borrego Springs Boys and Girls Golf Tournament in 21 years – a whopping $115,000 gross ($92,500 net)!
Every penny raised at this event stays in Borrego Springs, and supports our local Club's efforts including a computer lab, healthy after school snacks, homework assistance, sports, a character building curriculum and a safe and supportive environment for over 269 Borrego students from the hours of 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Best of all, this funding will ensure the ever-popular weekly bus trip out of Borrego Springs in the sizzling summer to such enticing locations as a cool movie theater and water park in Coachella.
New de Anza Country Club owners Tom and Linda Heathcott, modeled kindness and philanthropy from the onset of the Golf Tournament with the offer of gratis use of the de Anza Golf Course and Clubhouse for the Tournament.
Both then proceeded to donate, bid on and purchase numerous auction items and generously match donations for the Sponsor a Youth Giving Event. Without a doubt, Tom and Linda Heathcott set the tone for giving, and others followed right along in their footsteps.
Borrego Springs is no stranger to philanthropists and the evening's live auction festivities began with the infamous Bill and Jinny Wright's auctioning of the traditional Jeroboam of wine – a 4.5L huge bottle that upon purchase must be opened and consumed on the premise in order for the empty bottle to be auctioned off at the end of the evening. Got that?
With all the wine flowing, the donations kept coming. Longtime Boys and Girls Club supporter Al Hansberger pledged $5,000 with a request for a match. He did so in a moving tribute to his former wife, Beverly, also a longtime supporter of our Borrego Springs Boys and Girls Club.
The matches came rolling in to the tune of $20,000. Oh what fun it was to add up the numbers at the end of the evening!
A shout out must be given to our local businesses and folks who give and give to one fundraiser after another, without so much as a hesitation or a sigh. You truly understand our community and you obviously know the importance of our Boys and Girls Club to the children and parents in our village. We appreciate you very much. The same goes to the dozens of supporters from out of Borrego who attend the Tournament every year and have become part of the Borrego Family.
So ends another season of giving and supporting local causes that benefit our Borrego students in so many wonderful and amazing ways. As School Community Liaison, I can't imagine working in a more incredible place than Borrego Springs.
Folks are generous and our students' needs are many. It's a match made in heaven. On behalf of the Boys and Girls Club, we thank you all so very much.
