Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley on Friday announced the cancellation of its 49th Annual Benefit Auction, titled “Galactic Gala,” scheduled for Saturday, June 6.

After closely monitoring the evolving situation, this decision was made in order to best support public health.

Without the Club’s largest fundraiser, an estimated a loss of $220,000 is expected, leaving the Club unable to provide basic out-of-school resources to Santa Clarita youth.

While the event won’t go on, with community support, the Boys & Girls Club will.

Board President and Auction Co-Chair Ann-Marie Bjorkman is still processing the news: “The Auction is my baby. The first Saturday in June has been marked on my calendar for over 20 years! We had a great theme picked out, ‘Galactic Gala,’ and our supporters were so excited. We hate having to cancel but we just don’t know where the world will be by then and so many of our supporters are suffering right now. Even though we won’t have the event we still have to fundraise so we’re asking anyone who can to make a donation.”

Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley will re-open its doors when it is safe to do so. In the meantime, local children and teens need support more than ever before. Youth Development Professionals have been hard at work developing new and innovative ways to continue the Club’s mission of reaching those who need us most.

Through virtual programming, social media, phone calls, and letter writing, staff are connecting with Club members through these hard times. Club staff are connecting families with the resources they need.

When the Club re-opens, a huge job lies ahead. Santa Clarita’s youth need to quickly get back on track to their great future. For kids, the Club will restore a feeling of safety that has been lost as they face empty grocery store shelves, sick friends and neighbors, school cancellations, and the 24-hour news cycle.

As parents get back to work, they will need a safe and positive place for their children. The Club is the place parents will turn to while they get back on their feet. And maybe most importantly, at the Club, kids and teens will get to be kids again: playing with friends, spending time with mentors and heroes, laughing and healing.

“The Club has been a second home for tens of thousands of young people in Santa Clarita since 1968 and is going to be a critical program in helping the community get back on its feet,” said Matt Nelson, CEO.

“Like everyone, we do not know exactly when we will re-open our doors,” he said. “In the meantime, our Youth Development Professionals are doing an amazing job reaching out to Club kids at home-thru phone calls, social media, online meetings, and even good old-fashioned letter writing. We want our Club kids and teens to know they are not alone, that we are here for them, and can’t wait to see them in person again.

“Also, we know that when we do re-open, our kids are going to need some sense of normalcy, a space to reconnect with other kids, and caring adults to talk to so we are training our staff and planning programs to help our kids cope. They’ve been thru so much this school year already,” Nelson said. “They need us more than ever.”

In times of tragedy and crisis, Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley has stepped up to provide a safe place for kids and teens. Today, the organization is committed more than ever, to ensure Club staff, members, families, and communities have the resources and support they need to navigate these uncertain times. To donate and to learn more about the Club’s mission, please visit www.scvbgc.org.

Here’s a link to photos by Schlickart of the 2019 Auction.

<a href=”https://scvnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/boys-and-girls-club-1.png”><img src=”https://scvnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/boys-and-girls-club-1-556×436.png” alt=”Boys &amp; Girls Club SCV in Newhall – scholarships” width=”556″ height=”436″ class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-132905″ /></a>