Long Beach mayor's golf tournament nets $126,000

Underscoring his commitment to supporting youth sports and educational programs, Mayor Robert Garcia hosted the 10th aual Long Beach Mayor’s Trophy Charity Golf Touament on May 5.

“It was a pleasure to support this event,” said Mayor Garcia. “Education and healthy development through sports go hand in hand in cultivating our next generation of leaders.”

Presented by Mercedes-Benz of Long Beach, the event at Skylinks Golf Course raised $126,000 for the Century Club, which supports amateur and youth athletics – including Special Olympics Long Beach and the athletic programs at CSULB, LBCC, and the LBUSD.

It also provides educational scholarships for Long Beach area high school scholar-athletes.

A full field of 144 golfers competed. Activities included a military welcome ceremony hosted by the mayor; a putting contest sponsored by David Musty Putters; lunch provided by Chick-fil-A Long Beach Towne Center; a variety of on-course contests, including hole-in-one opportunity for a Mercedes-Benz C Class automobile and a $10,000 cash prize.

An awards dier was emcee’d by Supervisor Don Knabe who is a long-standing member of the Century Club and a Gold Sponsor of the Mayor’s Trophy for the past 10 years. Knabe also joined “Container Wars” celebrity auctioneer John Kunkle in conducting the live auction.

Joining in the golf touament and evening festivities were four wounded warriors as guests.

Preceding the evening’s reception cocktails were provided by Southe Wine & Spirits and Anheuser-Busch; Gregg Young and the 2nd Street Band entertained the throng; appetizers were provided by Legends.

The evening’s festivities were highlighted by a “Taste of Long Beach” dier format, with a delicious assortment of food donated by many of Long Beach’s favorite restaurants.

First place low gross wiers were Jorge Badel, James Oh, Ross Riddle and Don Knabe.

Stan Olin and Ben Goldberg served as Century Club touament chairs, assisted by past chair and treasurer John Fylpaa, president Vito Lanuti, and past president Dan Gooch.

For questions about next year’s touament, please contact Cindy Elliot at 562.431.5962 or [email protected]. To lea more about the Long Beach Century Club, please visit www.lbcenturyclub.org.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Long Beach Gala

More than 500 friends and guests of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Long Beach gathered on April 23 for “Bright Lights, Bright Futures,” an over-the-top spectacular evening of entertainment that raised $355,000 to support after-school programs for the youth of Long Beach.

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Event chair Trent Bryson once again enlisted Choura Events to transform an empty parking lot at Marine Stadium into an exclusive tented affair.

Upon arrival into the massive 20,000 square foot tent, guests received the red carpet treatment — with memento photos and a warm greeting by the Clubs’ chief executive officer Don Rodriguez (with Cindy) and board and committee chair Trent Bryson (with Mallory Mellon).

With many silent and live auction items to choose from, there was something for everyone as guests took in the beautiful waterfront views. The generosity of the attendees was in full force throughout the evening.

Guests were moved to a standing ovation for 2015-2016 Youth of the Year, Kalon Predium, following his speech.

Attendees were also treated to performances by young club members who described their aspirations for their bright futures, following a musical performance by Kobe James. The evening was further highlighted as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Long Beach honored Nestlé with the John C. Wallace Dream Maker award in recognition of their many years of generous support to the BGCLB members.

To top the night off, guests were led into the concert area of the tent which featured private lounge areas, a second stage, and a dance floor. Three generations of guests shared the floor, dancing the night away to the sounds of the energetic 80’s cover band, The Spazmatics.

Seen at the Scene: Don and Julie Knabe, Doug and Linda Drummond, Roberto and Tonia Uranga, David and Mimi Mercado, Irv Miller, Barbie Barker and Don Litterst, Jim and Masy Buell, Mark and Leigh Latimer, Dan and Pam Munzer, Tony and Catherine Chukuka, Darlene Dameron and Gary Taylor, Richard and Diane Dilday, Kim Estes, Brandon and Isabel Ferrera, Dr. Grant and Debbie Uba, Melissa and Mark Fimbres, Gary and Lauren Gaines, Damon and Traci Haber, Brian Holmen and Elizabeth Weldon, Elizabeth Jones, Sandi and Kevin Kayse, Peter Max and Lisa Miller, Andrea Parker, Stefan Perovich, Bill and Erin Phillips, Robert and Leticia Renteria, Blythe and Nate Reyes, John and Lauren Sulentor, Cass and Priscilla Traub, Rick and Bree Bryson, John and Doreen Dameron, John and Elissa Di Carlo, , Bob and Debbie Fults, Jon and Margie Masterson, Cass and Priscilla Traub, Stephanie Argyros, Rocky and Julie Suares, Ken and Jelana Bentley, Allan and Katie Stratford, Derek and Liz Middagh, Mark Shulten, Kullen and Jeaie Birkeland, Olga Chavez, Andy, Gabby, and Solaire Perez, Rich and Pat Archbold, Phil Trani.

ERRATA: In last week’s column Dr. Sophia Momand was incorrectly listed as a staff doctor at CSULB.” She is a staff family physician at CSUDH (not CSULB) who donates her services for the Long Beach area.

News of social events with charitable purposes may be sent to Shirley Wild at [email protected] or by fax to (562) 594-9668. Please include a contact phone number. Send high-resolution jpeg photos, by attachment, to [email protected] and include group name and identification of individuals from left. Call Shirley at (562) 594-9468 for more information. Please check the website for coverage of additional events: wwwpresstelegram.com/social.