Palm Springs Boys & Girls Club celebrates 75 years with Halloween bash
The pool at the Hilton Resort in Downtown Palm Springs became for a few hours the perfect backdrop for a spooktacular event where imagination and generosity collided on Oct. 29.
The occasion was the annual Be a Hero for Kids Halloween Bash in celebration of the Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs (BGCPS)' 75th anniversary.
Superman wrested with Roman warriors all the while vying for tasty cheeseburgers with all the fixings as Cruella de Vil and characters from “The Wizard of Oz” enjoyed mini Halloween-themed tasty delights. The King and Queen of the event — aka board member Kevin Corcoran and CEO and Executive Director Margaret Keung — proudly honored members of the Palm Springs community with plaques for their dedication, generosity and support for the Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs.
Serving more than 1,700 people annually, the BGCPS provides a wide range of after school, summer and winter programs in a safe, supervised environment. The nonprofit’s state-of-the-art building provides additional space and resources in order to serve older youth who today are faced with more serious and difficult challenges than ever before.
The Be a Hero for Kids Halloween Bash drew about 200 people, most of whom came dressed for the occasion.
Patricia Delgado Service, owner of Las Casueles Terraza, was honored with the Inspiration Award. Service spoke of her early years, during which her younger brother attended the Boys & Girls Club. It is now one of her favorite charities.
The Champions for Youth Award went to Steve Tobin and Johnny Krupa, whose Grace Helen Spearman Foundation honors the legacy of the late Spearman by providing funds to those in need, with a special emphasis on the fields of education, medical research, cultural arts and assisting people with disabilities.
Reid D. Milanovich, tribal chairman, accepted the Community Superhero Award on behalf of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, who have long supported the kids, parents and staff of the Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs.
Many locals came out to support the event, including Palm Springs Mayor Grace Garner, Mayor Pro Tem Jeffrey Bernstein and Dr. Oscar Chamudes, new City Manager Scott Stiles, Councilmembers Lisa Middleton and Ron deHarte, Ann Sheffer and Bill Scheffler, Terri and Bart Ketover, Tony and Silvia Signoret, Larry and Ruth Isaak, Sharon and Joaquin Delgado, Jerry Keller (whose Lulu Catering and Events sponsored the event's marvelous decorations), Jeff Ballinger and Keith Mangold, Aftab Dada, Scott Nevins and Philip Hodges, Craig and Michele Borba and Bib E. Scott.
BGCPS is a nonprofit organization committed to ensuring equality and inclusion for all young people it supports all youth and teens of every race, ethnic to city, gender, ability, economic status, and religion in reaching their full potential. For more information visit bgcps.org or call (760) 835-2450
See many more images from this event online at desertsun.com/life/desert-scene.
Carole Stephen-Smith began writing in Scotland for a woman’s weekly at the age of 15 and then covered American celebrities for the London Evening Echo. Arriving in the desert, she wrote for Desert Woman in the 1990s. Carole focuses on charities that help women as well as medical causes, especially breast cancer awareness, and all aspects of child abuse.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs Boys & Girls Club turs 75, hosts Halloween bash
