Boys and Girls Club: An Evening of Changing Lives

Boys and Girls Club San Diego Raises $1 Million to Help Kids

Non-profit organizations across the county seek to change lives, but few successfully complete that task as well as the Boys and Girls Club of Greater San Diego (BGCGSD). The organization recently changed the face of fundraising with their inaugural annual event, "An Evening of Changing Lives."

Whereas traditional, smaller fundraisers usually take place several times a year, the BGCGSD chose to focus their efforts on a single, large event. The club’s new approach, though unprecedented, was a resounding success, with over 700 attendees and a grand total of $1 million raised to benefit the local branches of the club.

The Boys and Girls Club has been positively influencing children in San Diego for over seventy years. It offers a number of programs that foster their mission of academic success, character development and healthy lifestyle in their attendees.

The club’s presence in San Diego began seventy years ago with a clubhouse in Logan Heights and has since grown to seventeen community-based cites across San Diego County. These clubs cater to 25,000 children ages 5-18, the majority of whom live below the poverty line. The BGCGSD provides local youth with positive adult influences in addition to powerful programming in order to positively change the lives of every child possible.

The inaugural "Evening of Changing Lives" took place on September 27th at the San Diego Marriott Marquis and Marina Hotel’s Marriott Hall in a gorgeous, traditional gala setting. Many of San Diego’s most prominent figures came out to attend the opening ceremony, beginning the night amid tinkling champagne flutes at an elegant cocktail reception.

As the night unfolded, guests made their way to beautifully dressed tables in order to enjoy special performances, dinner, and silent and live auctions, which were made all the more exciting by the use of a new, electronic bidding system.       

The pinnacle of the night was a performance by alum of the Boys and Girls Club and Grammy Award-winning artists Kool & the Gang. The Gang took the stage beneath twinkling purple lights, garnering cheers from the immense crowd, and proudly declared their status as alum of the life-changing programs.

Another proud alumnus of the Boys and Girls Club, award-winning actor Courtney B. Vance, served as Master of Ceremonies for the evening. Vance, who credits the club with his personal success, narrated the evening with poise and grace, as would any alumnus of the Boys and Girls Club.           

Both Vance and Kool & the Gang represent the success stories of the Boys and Girls Club, not just in San Diego, but across the country. By coming together to support the BGCGSD, these celebrities, as well as our own local supporters, prove that the effects of the clubs reach far beyond youth. The Boys and Girls Club of Greater San Diego is not just changing lives, it’s changing generations. 

To make a donation or learn more about the Boys and Girls Club of Greater San Diego, visit them on the web or call 1-866-SDYouth.