Fundraiser nets $20,000 for Ramona Boys & Girls Club

Proceeds totaling approximately than $20,000 from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego Celebrity Golf Classic fundraiser will benefit the club’s Ramona branch.

The golf classic, hosted by San Diego Padre Yonder Alonso, was held June 5 at the Barona Creek Golf Club. About 70 golfers and 19 celebrities from the Padres, Chargers, NBA, University of San Diego Toreros, U.S. Soccer, Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) SeaLions,

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and local television stations joined Alonso for a sun-filled day of golf and fun.

Ramona’s Boys and Girls Club, at Sixth and E streets in Collier Park, is supervised by Simone McCune. Giving an example of how the club helps children, McCune said a member who has cerebral palsy and DiGeorge Syndrome was having a difficult time at the club and often had outbursts during the program.

“We recently started giving him more responsibilities around the club (helping to organize board games, set up equipment for outdoor activities, clean up after art) and his behavior has drastically improved,” said McCune.

She added that the boy told her “the Boys & Girls Club is a cool place to be.” As she was updating the staff board he told her that his picture would be up there one day as a staff member.

“This is why I love my job,” McCune said.

Alonso, a Boys and Girls Club alumnus from Miami, is a Life Changer spokesperson for the organization. Wanting to give back, he began a partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego and recently gave a private tour of Petco Park to 20 members from the 4S Ranch Branch.

“I am very excited to be hosting this event with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego,” Alonso said of the golf classic. “ As a kid growing up in Miami, the Boys & Girls Club was a place that made a tremendous impact in molding me into a responsible young adult. I’m proud to have this opportunity and give back to such a great organization.”

“We are very pleased and honored to have Yonder Alonso be engaged with our clubs,” said Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego President/CEO Danny Sherlock. “Having a Boys & Girls Club alumnus helping to make an impact of the lives of kids today is very special. We thank Yonder, his team and the Padres for their continued support in helping us change lives.”

Winning the golf classic was a team featuring Chance and Robert Cota and John and Randal Phillips with Danica Carey of the WPSL National Champion San Diego SeaLions women’s soccer team.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego has scheduled a community-based golf tournament in October — the Don Coryell Memorial Tournament — to benefit the Payne Family Branch in National City, and the Borrego Springs Golf Classic in February 2015.

The Boys & Girls Clubs seek to change lives through quality youth programs and guidance in a safe, affordable and fun environment. The clubs serve children ages 5 to 18 with academic achievement, character development and physical fitness programs.

For more information about the Ramona branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego, visit SDYouth.org or call 1-866-739-6884.