THOUSAND OAKS — The community is invited to attend one of the signature events for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley – ‘14th Annual Superstars of the Year Celebration’. This free, annual event, is open to all ages and recognizes local youth and volunteers who have made a contributed to the Boys & Girls Clubs.
The event takes place on Sunday, March 19 from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Fred Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. The afternoon includes an exciting line-up of celebrity stars who will host, perform and meet and greet the audience before and after the show. The celebration is presented by the Dr. Richard Grossman Community Foundation.
The afternoon also calls for musical, dance and drama performances by the members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley. The special highlight of the afternoon is the awarding of the Youth of the Year. A winner will be selected from two categories, 14-18 years old and 13 years old and younger. Winners will be recognized with a cash prize and certificates from local businesses. The youth in the 14-18 year old category can go on to participate in area coastal, state and regional competitions with an opportunity to win up to $100,000 in scholarships awarded by the President of the United States.
Adding to the festivities, the afternoon includes a Silent Auction with merchandise donated by the local community.
The entertainment provided by several of the celebrities include:
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Dylan Chambers. Courtesy photos.
Dylan Chambers – Dylan Chambers is a pop/R&B/soul singer, songwriter and guitar player from Arlington, Texas. After graduating high school, Dylan moved to Los Angeles to work on his music career. Since then, he has shared the stage with numerous artists such as Tori Kelly, Gavin DeGraw, Haley Reinhart, Macy Gray, etc., and toured around the country on the national Dancing with the Stars winter tour in 2014-2015 as a featured singer and guitarist. Live appearances included performing on the Radio Disney Music Awards, Access Hollywood, Hallmark’s Home and Family, and The Today Show. In 2016, Dylan independently released his debut acoustic EP “Vol. 1” which broke into the Top 200 R&B/Soul records on iTunes. In May of this year, Dylan will be performing his music around Europe alongside internationally known smooth jazz recording artist, Dave Koz, on board the “Dave Kox and Friends at Sea’ jazz cruise as a featured artist.
- Brianna Chomer (Co-Host at the Event)–
Brianna Chomer
Brianna grew up acting, splitting time between living in Florida and Los Angeles. She is currently auditioning for major roles in films, TV and commercials and is best recognized for the TV movie on Lifetime, “Stalked by my Doctor” opposite Eric Roberts. When she first started her acting career, she was cast in the lead of “Chatterbox” which was released through MarVista Entertainment, and to this day, she still receives fan mail from around the world. Brianna is also skilled at portraying roles in both comedy and drama.
- Kelsi Darby — Kelsi Darby resides in North Hollywood, California, and is pursuing a career in commercial dance, acting and modeling. Prior to beginning her dance training, Kelsi was an individual and all-around state gymnastics champion. Trained in all genres, Kelsi’s extensive technical training in ballet has led her to specialize in contemporary dance. She is represented by Clear Talent Group and was mentored by Dana Foglia in her 3-month LA intensive training program. Some of Kelsi’s credits include Nicki Minaj; Beyonce; Helene Fischer; a national Disney tour; a featured role in Shick Skintimate’s Pitch Perfect 2 national commercial; Subaru commercial; and a Pasadena Playhouse performer. Kelsi was a SYTYCD “Green Mile” finalist and recently traveled to Vietnam to assist on the set of So You Think You Can Dance Vietnam. She is a regular guest instructor for Millennium Dance Complex Pittsburgh, and is a member of the intensive faculty for Edge National Talent Competition. Kelsi is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA. Kelsi is also a Certified Makeup Artist, a Certified Yoga instructor, and the Studio Manager for IAF Studios in North Hollywood.
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Sophina DeJesus
Sophina DeJesus – An American artistic gymnast and dancer of Puerto Rican descent, Sophina DeJesus is a former elite gymnast and has been a member of the UCLA gymnastics team since the fall of 2012. She is also a hip hop dancer and actress in films, TV and commercials. She has made appearances on Good Morning America as well as the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Doing her part for the greater good, Sophina is an Ambassador and national speaker to support kid’s causes through sports and good will. She will perform some of her amazing gymnastics and dance moves at this year’s Superstars Celebration.
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McKenna Grace
McKenna Grace – McKenna Grace will be seen this April in Fox Searchlight’s Marc Webb-directed GIFTED starring as the title character opposite Chris Evans, Octavia Spencer and Jenny Slate. She is currently in production on I, TONYA, starring Margo Robbie, in which she will play young Tonya Harding, while at the same time shooting “Designated Survivor,” in which she appears as the daughter of Kiefer Sutherland’s character. Mckenna recently completed production on Lionsgate’s Pantelion comedy HOW TO BE A LATIN LOVER in a starring role opposite Rob Lowe, Kristen Bell and Rob Riggle. Other credits include the features INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE and voicing “Ella Bird” in THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE, as well as several other features and television series. McKenna will be on the ‘Step and Repeat’ at the Superstars Celebration to meet and greet kids and families and take photos before and after the show.
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Mateus Ward
Mateus Ward (Co-Host at the Event) – Born in Burbank, California, Mateus was raised on the island of Maui in Hawaii. In 2009, his family moved back to Los Angeles where he pursued acting in television and film. In 2010, he appeared in several short films and national commercials. His television debut was on the CBS network’s dramatic police procedural, “Criminal Minds.” He also appeared in the 20th Century Fox sitcom comedy pilot, “Outnumbered” with Cheech Marin and Ana Ortiz and in 2011 was asked to guest star in a sketch comedy on the “Sports Show with Norm Macdonald” on Comedy Central where he was nominated for a Young Artist Award and won an ONMI Youth Music and Actor Award for Outstanding Actor. The same year, he appeared on NBC’s successful drama, “Parenthood.” In 2012, Mateus landed a recurring Guest Star role on Disney XD’s teen sitcom “Lab Rats,” Guest Starred on CBS’s “N.C.I.S.” and won the 2012 Young Artist Award for his recurring role on the two-part series finale of Showtime’s comedy-drama “Weeds.” He also appeared in the award-winning independent feature film “Lonely Boy,” portraying a teenager with schizophrenia. In the Fall of 2013, Mateus was a series regular with Toni Collette, Dylan McDermott and Tate Donovan on the Warner Bros. TV / Jerry Bruckheimer limited series “Hostages” on CBS. In 2015, Mateus joined the cast as a series regular of Steven Bochco’s “Murder in the First” Season 2 as Dustin Maker on TNT. He is also has a recurring role on the Nickelodeon animated series “Loud House.” Last year, Mateus was cast as the lead in the Independent Feature Film “The Meanest Man in Texas,” which will be released in 2017.
*Other production numbers on stage with Michelle Zeitlin, More Zap Productions & Management – Entertainment in-kind sponsor, to include: Isabella Cotrone, rhythmic gymnast and Anya Inger, dancer in addition to Musicians Institute’s Wolfpack. Guests artists are subject to change due to scheduling conflicts.
For more information, or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, call 818-706-0905. No RSVP’s are required.
About the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley: The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley are open before and after school, during lunch, on weekends, throughout the summer for the camp program and all day during school vacations with tours of the Clubs available upon request. For more information about supervised youth programs, to donate, volunteer, or register online, please log onto www.bgcconejo.org or call 818-706-0905.