Boys and Girls Club to host annual New Year’s Eve Gala fundraiser

The newly completed Boys and Girls Club of the Valleys needs help raising funds before it can open its doors to the youth of Scotts Valley and the San Lorenzo Valley, and the organization’s 2nd Annual New Year’s Eve Gala is the perfect place to start.
This year’s event will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 31 at Bruno’s BBQ in Scotts Valley and will begin at 9 p.m. Tickets are $40 for one person and $75 for two if ordered in advance, and will cost $50 for one person and $90 for two at the door.
“It’s sort of a kick-off,” said Board President Sam Robustelli of the fundraising efforts. “The group has worked hard to put it together and would like the community to support the effort and the money goes towards opening the club.”
Live music will be performed by Lenny’s Basement and tickets include hot and cold appetizers, dessert, a champagne toast at midnight, and party favors, said Boys and Girls Club of the Valleys Board member Cheryl Shapiro.
“The Gala is to also get our name out there and to get people interested in asking the right questions and maybe possibly interested in joining the board as well as helping us with our big-dollar fundraising efforts,” she said.
Since its completion, the newly constructed Boys and Girls Club of the Valleys — located at the intersection of Scotts Valley Drive and El Pueblo Road in Scotts Valley — has remained empty and waiting for its space to be utilized.
Robustelli said that the board is planning a major campaign to raise enough money to hire a executive director and provide some limited services.
“We have got to raise over a quarter of a million (dollars) because we have to meet certain standards for the Boys and Girls Club of America,” he said.
So far, all raised funds have gone toward the building’s completion and there is very little left over for any other purpose.
“You have to have enough money to operate for a couple of years before you open your doors, so you don’t open the door and then have to close it,” Robustelli explained.
Money raised by the New Year’s Eve Gala will help support the club’s projected opening date of mid-2015.
“Part of it will go to the opening and part of it will go to maintenance and keeping the building up,” he said, “because even an empty building costs money to keep.”
The Club plans to have basketball and Wiffle ball courts, as well as a garden, nutrition, and cooking classes, Shapiro said. There is a full kitchen, a homework/computer room, and some musical instruments already.
“The possibilities are unlimited once we can get the doors open and the community involved,” she said. “We want to do what kids are interested in doing, and we want them to learn at the same time.”
The New Year’s Eve Gala is for ages 21 and over and tickets can be purchased in advance at Bruno’s BBQ or Rapid Refill in Santa Cruz.
For more information about the Boys and Girls Club of the Valleys, visit http://www.bgcvalleys.org/