Club
raises money for homeless, needy
By
Jeff Overley
On-line Forty-Niner
Club
Ripples in Belmont Shore held a fundraiser
Wednesday night to aid the homeless and
needy students of Long Beach's Mary Bethune
Transitional Center.
Singer
Mara Getz and a disc jockey provided entertainment
at the event, which also featured a buffet,
cocktails and dancing. The club will donate
all proceeds from a $10 admission charge
to the center.
John
Garcia, Ripples' co-owner, conceived the
event, only the most recent of the endeavors
he has undertaken to benefit the learning
institution. Garcia has been involved with
the center since 2001 when he received the
Staples Star award for previous philanthropic
work in Long Beach. He was given $1,000
to donate to the charity of his choice,
and he decided to buy books and start a
reading room at Bethune.
"I
was looking for something different, and
helping kids is very important to me,"
Garcia said. "Just because Ripples
is a gay bar doesn't mean we only help gay
organizations."
Garcia
has continued to help purchase books to
enhance the library that is named after
him, and has raised funds to pay for computer
equipment and new chairs. He has also made
arrangements for the center's children to
have lunch with Long Beach Chief of Police
Anthony Batts on Sept. 23.
"Having
people like [Garcia] involved allows the
kids to be successful," said Amy Angel,
a teacher at the center.
The
Mary Bethune Transitional Center is not
referred to as a school because in addition
to education it provides students with free
uniforms, backpacks and supplies. The institution
also furnishes medical and dental coverage,
evaluates mental health and assesses current
levels of educational proficiency. Transitional
describes the center's role as a temporary
stop for displaced children living in shelters,
hotels and motels. Students are expected
to re-enter the Long Beach Unified School
District within 30 days of arriving at Bethune.
The
center, which services children in kindergarten
through eighth grade, also receives funding
from the state and Federal government, and
various businesses including Boeing and
Verizon, Angel said.
The
assistance Garcia has given to the school
can be dwarfed by his long history of community
service. He began raising funds for various
charitable causes throughout Long Beach
when Ripples opened in 1971. Since then
he has been on the board of directors for
numerous organizations, including the Homestead
Hospice and Shelter, for which he helped
raise over $800,000. He was instrumental
in adding Petswalk to AIDSWALK Long Beach,
which served to increase public turnout,
said Trish Edwards, Garcia's business consultant.
With
so many examples of helping strangers, it
is perhaps not surprising that Garcia is
devoted to his family. He is currently responsible
for the care of his mother, aunt and two
uncles, all of who live together in Long
Beach, Edwards said.
"Up
at Staples Center [where Garcia received
the Staples Star award] there is a sign
that reads 'Altruism,' and that's exactly
what his mentality and his actions denote,"
Edwards said.
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