Putting for San Pasqual: Charity Golf Tournament Set for March 30
For the third year in a row, a group of employees with the Public Defender’s Office have organized a charity golf tournament and barbeque to support the foster youth who live and learn at the County’s unique San Pasqual Academy.
This year’s tournament is Friday, March 30—Cesar Chavez Day—at Riverwalk in Mission Valley. Board of Supervisors Chairman Ron Roberts and Supervisor Greg Cox—both longtime supporters of San Pasqual—will be out swinging in the 18-hole friendly competition. Public Defender Community Outreach members are hoping about 200 other golfers will join the supervisors to help meet a new fundraising goal.
“The last couple years we’ve raised $50,000, and we’re looking to double it this year,” said Frank Barone, a deputy public defender and Community Outreach board member.
The County employee group works with the nonprofit Friends of the San Pasqual Academy to route the money tournament raises to educational and extra-curricular needs at the school in the San Pasqual Valley, east of Escondido, Barone said. Last year, some of the $50,000 raised in the golf tournament combined with donations from several local foundations, the NFL and County funds to help realize the dream of a home football field for the San Pasqual Dragons.
Before the new field, San Pasqual’s players regularly travelled to Ramona for their “home” games, making it difficult for other students to attend and get into the school spirit.
“These kids had never had a home game for as a long as they’d been in existence because they’d never had a football field,” Barone said.
San Pasqual Academy is home and school to up to 184 students, ages 12 to 18, and it’s the nation’s only residential program for foster youth. The 238-acre campus has an accredited high school, a technology and career information center, an assembly hall, recreation fields, and a swimming pool. Far more than just a school, the San Pasqual is a community for kids who have lacked stability in their lives. Cottages and attached apartments house students, alumni, transitional age foster youth, staff and volunteer “grandparents” who nurture and mentor the young people.
Barone said supporting the school meshes well with the Public Defender Community Outreach group’s goal of enriching the lives of local people in need. Anyone who wants to join the group to support foster youth at San Pasqual and have a great day of golf is invited to join the March 30 tournament. Players will compete in four member teams, scoring the best ball on each hole.
Registration is $135 per player and includes a golf cart, box lunch and a BBQ dinner with prizes, an awards ceremony and a charity auction. Non-golfers are invited to join the BBQ and evening festivities for $75. For more information and to register, visit http://www.pd-outreach.org. The registration deadline is Friday, March 23.