The Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland Announces its 19th Annual 'Salute to Youth' Dinner & Benefit Auction Featuring 3-time Olympian and Gold Medalist Dominique Dawes

19th Annual "Salute to Youth" Dinner & Benefit Auction Featuring 3-time Olympian, and Gold Medalist Dominique Dawes To Benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland BGCO Youth of the Year 2008 Nicholas Gordon to be Honored

Oakland, California (PRWEB) April 29, 2008 -- The Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland will host its 19th Annual "Salute to Youth" Dinner & Benefit Auction, presented by The Whalen Family Foundation and Athens Administraters, on Saturday, May 31, 2008, from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the scenic Greek Orthodox Cathedral, located at 4700 Lincoln Avenue in Oakland. The event will feature three-time Olympian and Gold Medalist, Dominique Dawes, as well as the honoring of the Club's 2008 Youth of the Year, Nicholas Gordon. All proceeds will benefit the young people served by Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland.

The festivities will include live and silent auction items featuring a number of unique items and elegant cuisine. The event is also supported by top-level sponsors including The Men's Wearhouse, Bank of the West, Wells Fargo, AssetMark Investment Services Inc., Bank of America, The Clorox Company, Matson Navigation Company, and Buty & Curliano LLP. Sponsorships ranging from $1,500 to $15,000 are still available and individual tickets are $150 each.

Dominique Dawes who will draw from her past experience as a member of the US Women's Gymnastics team to bring home the message--Success is a Journey, NOT a Destination--is an inspiring and timely theme for our audience as the 2008 Summer Olympic Games appear on the horizon.

Dominique started in gymnastics at the age of 6, began competing at the age of 10, and burst into the international spotlight in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, where she was the first African American gymnast to ever qualify in an Olympic Games. At these Games she and her teammates captured a bronze medal. Since then Dominique has won more National Championship medals than any other athlete, male or female, since 1963, as well as numerous World Championship medals. One of Dominique's greatest feats came when she swept all four events and won the All Around title at the 1994 National Championships.

At the 1996 Olympic Games Dominique and the U.S. Gymnastics team made history and stole the hearts of Americans with their team gold medal. At those same Games, "Awesome Dawesome" (as she is known by her coach and teammates) became the first African-American to win an individual gymnastics medal with her bronze on the floor. Following her triumphs at the Olympics, Dominique appeared on the Wheaties cereal box, performed in music videos by Prince and Missy Elliott, and acted on a number of television shows. Dominique has also appeared on Broadway in the hit musical "Grease," where she played the part of Patty Simcox.

The Youth of the Year program, which is administered by Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and has been nationally sponsored by the Reader's Digest Foundation since 1947, recognizes outstanding contributions to a member's family, school, community and Boys & Girls Club, as well as personal challenges and obstacles overcome.

Nicholas is a five-year member of the BGCO where he has become a role model for his 6-to-17 year-old fellow club members-contributing over 160 volunteer hours last year alone. Nick has been instrumental in the development and implementation of effective youth programs and activities within the Leonard J. Meltzer Branch in West Oakland. Nick is also very active in his church and maintains Honors-level classes at school. Nick currently attends Oakland Technical High School and will graduate this year. He is considering both Wilberforce University and Texas Southern University with intent to become a Psychologist.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland's mission is to develop our community's youth into positive contributors to society. Now in its 67th year, the Club continues to provide safe places to learn and grow, opportunities for ongoing relationships with caring adult professionals, life-enhancing programs, and other character development experiences each year for over 2,500 boys and girls, ages 6 to 17. The organization supplements the endeavors of our families and our schools, and plans to serve a minimum of 5,000 Oakland youth in the near future. Please visit our website to learn more about our mission and programs www.bgcoakland.org.

For those interested in sponsorship or ticket information, please contact Vicki Cosgrove at vcosgrove@bgcoakland.org or 510-444-8211 x 13.

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