Message from Boys & Girls Clubs:
WHAT: Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley Sports Heroes Luncheon IV
DATE: Wednesday, April 11, 2018
TIME: 11:30 AM
WHERE: Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa
44600 Indian Wells Lane
Indian Wells, CA
Professional and Coachella Valley high school athletes also to be honored
Indian Wells, California (March 29, 2018) – The Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley will host the 4th Annual Sports Heroes Luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa on April 11, 2018. Funds from the event will directly contribute to the youth development programs at the Boys & Girls Clubhouses in Indio, La Quinta, Coachella and Mecca.
The luncheon’s guest speaker will be Lynn Swann, athletic director at the University of Southern California. The 2001 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee will speak about the power of sports in changing lives. The event will honor professional athletes and coaches Coco Crisp, Judi Garman, Hudson Houck, Ann Meyers Drysdale and Pooh Richardson. Twenty-two Coachella Valley high school standout athletes, selected by The Desert Sun, with one male and one female representing all sports categories, will be attending as well to join the professionals as they are together spotlighted in the festive “Parade of Sports Heroes.” Desert Sun sports reporter Shad Powers will be on stage individually honoring the top high school athletes of the year for fall, winter, and spring quarters who excel in basketball, cross-country and track, football, golf, soccer, swimming and water polo, tennis, volleyball and wrestling. Alumni attendees Donna Caponi-Byrnes, Rosie Casals, Tom Flores, Tory Fretz, Jim Hardy, Oscar Lua, Ron Tomsic, Chris Voelz, and Paul
Warfield will join in the afternoon of celebration and reminiscing. Prominent news personality and award winning KESQ News Channel 3 broadcast journalist, Karen Devine will be the Master of Ceremonies.
“After 38 years with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley, I can attest to the positive influence of sports,” says Director of Major Gifts Jim Ducatte. “Athletic programs are powerful attractions to get kids through the club doors. From then on, trained club staff help level the playing field for these kids by helping to mold their futures. Case in point is former Indio Club member Tony Reagins who made a career in Major League Baseball first as General Manager of the Anaheim Angels and now as MLB Youth Development Director in New York City,” Ducatte added.
The BGCofCV is proud to be aligned with media partners KESQ News Channel 3 and The Desert Sun and particularly its two title “MVP Sponsors” Connie and Bob Lurie and Cathryn and Ed Rasmuson. “Ringside” sponsors include Helen and Charles Schwab, Charles Schwab & Company, Peter Rabbit Farms (The Powell Family), Eisenhower Medical Center, Suzanne & Richard Kayne Foundation, Whitfield Family Philanthropy Fund, Private Asset Management, Inc./Bochnewich Law Offices, Kay Ruttman, Prime Time International, Richard Bagdasarian, Inc., and West Coast Turf.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley opened its doors in 1966 and for over 50 years has provided after-school and summer programs for children, especially those who may be labeled at-risk. The organization currently serves over 6,500 children and teens through its four full service facilities, one onsite afterschool program, two boxing/athletic centers, and three teen centers. Locally, the organization is known for its reputation as a premier youth development agency. Nationally it is listed among the top 5 percent of clubs exceeding national performance standards by its parent organization, Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Sponsorship opportunities, which include a private reception with the Class of 2018 VIP Honorees, preferred parking, program recognition, a table for 10 and a 2019 Farm and BGCofCV tour, including lunch, are still available. Tickets for the event cost $125 per seat and are partially tax deductible. Registration is available online at www.bgcofcv or by calling Susan Ogrodnick at 760/836-1160, Extension 101.