Wyatt McCrea, from left, Ronnie Stone, Larry Persons and Neal McDonough. Courtesy Greg Grunt Photography.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE — The Southeast Ventura County YMCA’s 60th Anniversary Gala raised $402,055 to support YMCA youth programs. The event was held outdoors on September 21 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village. It attracted over 300 guests and featured a reception, gourmet dinner, silent and live auctions and after-party. Actor Neal McDonough hosted the evening.
The gala looked back on the YMCA’s 60 years beginning when Western movie star Joel McCrea and his wife, Frances, donated part of their ranch between Thousand Oaks and Moorpark that would later become the Conejo Valley Family YMCA.
The gala honored Larry Persons with the Joel and Frances McCrea Leadership Award for his nearly 30 years of support to the YMCA. Persons volunteered on branch boards and currently serves as the board chair of the YMCA.
Ventura County Supervisor Janice Parvin presented the Community Leadership Award to Dr. Angelica Chavez, Simi Valley Unified School District’s coordinator of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Humanities for her commitment to the community and partnership with the YMCA.
The event highlighted many local YMCA programs that are supported by community donations including Safety Around Water, which teaches children water safety and basic swimming skills at no cost. Over 1,000 children participated in the program in 2023. Sessions take place throughout the year.
Other YMCA programs funded primarily by donations are the YMCA’s Find My Genius no-cost achievement gap learning program for low and moderate-income students, inclusive programming for children with intellectual developmental disabilities and a scholarship program to ensure everyone can take part in YMCA activities regardless of the ability to pay including Youth & Government, which teaches high school youth the values of democracy and government.
“We are very grateful for our donors. Every day, we see how their generosity impacts so many in our community,” says Ronnie Stone, Southeast Ventura County YMCA Presidentand CEO. “Children from the SAW program came on stage during the gala and talked about the difference the program made in their lives. Their stories are truly inspiring.”
The Southeast Ventura County YMCA consists of the Yarrow Family YMCA (serving the Conejo Valley and Moorpark), Simi Valley Family YMCA and 13 childcare facilities. For more information about the Southeast Ventura County YMCA and its programs, visit http://www.sevymca.org
For more about the history of the local YMCA, watch a video by going to https://www.sevymca.org/gala