Mark those calendars and get your palates primed, for the Child & Family Center’s 26th Annual Taste of the Town is slated for Sunday, May 4 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Mann Biomedical Park in Valencia. A premier food and wine-tasting experience, the fundraising event will serve gourmet dishes from more than 40 local eateries and caterers, and alcoholic beverages from many fine wine and beer purveyors. Live entertainment from platinum recording artist Mark LeVang and Friends, silent and live auctions, raffles, and a Diamond Drop champagne drawing will also be on tap.
Tickets to the event, which is expected to bring in 2,000 attendees, may be purchased through the Child & Family Center.
“Taste of the Town is a really fun way to enjoy great food and spirits among friends while supporting the Child & Family Center in providing mental health, behavioral, and education services to children, teens, adults, and families,” stated Joyce Carson, who is co-chairing the 2014 Taste of the Town with Sandra J. Smith.
Carson, a retired schoolteacher, former SCV Woman of the Year, and longtime Child & Family Center supporter, notes that Taste of the Town 2013 raised a whopping $223,000.
“Of course, we are hoping to exceed that amount this year,” the co-chair said adding, “and it’s for such an important cause. This assistance helps our youth in their journey toward becoming productive, happy, and healthy adults, and in turn that helps create a safer, stronger community.”
Lois Bauccio, president of Child and Family Center Foundation, hails Taste of the Town as the non-profit organization’s “signature event of the year.”
According to Bauccio, children from all backgrounds and numerous challenges are assisted through the center’s services and programs. Problems treated include: anxiety and depression, attention deficit disorder, autism spectrum disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, drug and alcohol addiction, child abuse, domestic violence, thoughts of suicide, and more.
Community members are encouraged to support the outdoor gastronomic gathering through attendance, sponsorships (include extensive pre-event media coverage, day-of-event recognition, signage and advertising space in the event program), and providing auction donations.
Taste of the Town sponsors thus far include: Whitening Lightening; Bank of Santa Clarita; The Magazine of Santa Clarita/élite Magazine (media sponsor); Mann Biomedical Park; Classic Designs Jewelry; Santa Clarita Studios; The Signal; KHTS AM-1220; Salon 7, and Habitat for Humanity.
Cheryl Jones, Child & Family Center Foundation vice president, promises that Taste of the Town’s auction items will feature a tempting array of experiences.
“We already have several ‘dream’ items, including a one-week stay at a private villa in Tuscany, an Auxiliary-donated in-home private wine-pairing dinner or cocktail party, and a one-week timeshare stay in Palm Desert,” Jones said.
The need for helping the Child & Family Center is greater in recent years than in the past due to belt-crimping national and local economic factors and budget cuts. Through supporting Taste of the Town, the Center is able to assist more than 700 local children and adults in need of mental health services.
Founded in 1976 by then-concerned teachers Katie Clarke, Liz Seipel and Carol Gelsinger, the Child & Family Center today helps more than 3,300 children and 2,500 adults annually with its comprehensive range of prevention, early intervention, evaluation and therapeutic services including counseling, crisis intervention, parenting classes, and substance abuse recovery programs.
Ticket prices for this adults-only event: General admission $75 each. Reserved umbrella table seating is $100 per person (advance purchase only). All food and beverages included in ticket price. Winner of the $25-per ticket drop will receive a beautiful one-carat round brilliant cut diamond, hand-selected in Belgium by Classic Designs Jewelry. (Includes a glass of champagne; winner need not be present.)
Tickets will be available online through the Child & Family Center, www.childfamilycenter.org, as of February 1. To purchase tickets you may also contact the Foundation Office: 661-255-6847 ext. 3018. For sponsorships or donations please contact Laura Kirchhoff at 661-255-6847 ext. 3166 or Laura.Kirchhoff@childfamilycenter.org.