This year we have been getting behind South Central’s The Challenger’s Boys and Girls Club which is affiliated with The Boys and Girls Club of America, a non-profit that works to provide mentorship, educational development, and cultural enrichment to inner city youth.
When Matt learned that the finale of their “Manhood Program” was to implement etiquette lessons at a formal restaurant, he insisted that the 13-year-olds come to our place where he showed them around our garden and gave everyone passionfruits to try. The boys were all very good sports about tasting something new… and sour!
Next everyone moved into The Salon where we served a plated, coursed out formal dinner. Volunteers watched on proudly as the boys put napkins in their laps and kept elbows off the table. They sat up straight and said thank yous to the servers as polite young men do.
Our uber talented friend Yasmine created some beautiful floral arrangements to really make The Salon feel put together and pretty.
Behind the scenes, our kitchen had a lot of fun garnishing everything with herbs and colorful vegetables to resemble processed food as little as possible. Denise even put green in the form of mint on the desserts. The boys ate it all up. They were the most polite crowd we’ve ever hosted!
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| Photos: Sharon Suh |
Matt really enjoyed this evening, we all did. There’s something about seeing an experience through the eyes of a child that makes it all feel completely new and innocent. The Challenger’s Boys and Girls Club is run from the support and dedication of many volunteers who are tirelessly committed to instilling confidence and enthusiasm in kids who don’t catch many breaks. It does take a village to raise a child, to keep kids off the streets and out of the system. Thank you Boys and Girls Club for providing a stable village.
Want to get involved? Please contact Diana Jones at 323.789.4770 or email her at djones@cbgcla.org
Donations are very appreciated, more info here.
