Oak Grove Center, a local nonprofit Residential, Education, and Treatment Center, reimagined their annual Golf Tournament and So-Cal Chef Open events. Supported by generous Sponsors and partnering with local restaurants and golf courses, Oak Grove offered golfers and restaurant patrons unique opportunities throughout Southern California from August 1st – 28th.
Golfers were able to enter the Golf Open Tournament with a $20 donation at any of the participating courses as often as they wished. Participating courses included Journey at Pechanga, Rancho Bernardo Inn, Redhawk Golf Course and Temecula Creek Golf Club. Each time they entered the tournament, golfers increased their chances to win prizes including golfing merchandise and the Grand Champion Prize of a 7-day luxury Cabo San Lucas resort trip. Funds raised supported the Oak Grove Sports & Recreation Program giving at-risk and special needs youth a chance to participate in organized sports.
The So-Cal Chef Open competition, formally an in-person, one day event, featured Signature Dishes on participating restaurant menus through August. Patrons who purchased the Signature Dish were able to vote to recommend the Signature Dish or not: this entered the patron into a drawing for a wine tasting up to 20 people from Total Wine & More. All proceeds of the Signature Dishes purchased benefited Oak Grove’s Culinary and Vocational Programs preparing youth for careers and successfully entering the workforce. At the end of August, the Chef with the most recommendations won the People’s Choice Award. Chefs also had the opportunity to compete in the Pinnacle Award judged by Culinary professionals. Winners are announced September 1, 2020. The 2020 participating restaurants included Avensole Winery, Devilicious Eatery, Il Tramonto Ristorante, Naughty Pig Butcher, The Restaurant at Ponte, and Sharon’s Creole Kitchen. To see all our winners, visit https://oakgrovecenter.org/events/13th-annual-so-cal-chef-open/.
“This was an opportunity to partner with local businesses in a different way and support those who have helped Oak Grove so generously in the past,” says Tammy Wilson, Oak Grove Center CEO, “The involvement of our Sponsors and participating partners made this year a success and helped Oak Grove meet the needs of our youth. It was amazing, and we are so grateful!”
Oak Grove serves more than 400 at-risk and special needs youth annually. Engaging challenged youth in recreational activities or career training is essential. These efforts prepare them for successful, independent adulthood. Thanks to our generous Sponsors, Oak Grove has been able to expand these programs. For example, during COVID, new indoor and outdoor equipment and more vocational opportunities within Culinary have been made available. Major Sponsors included Merrill Lynch – Johnson-Crow-Babb Group-Brea, Der Manouel Insurance, Pacific Western Bank, Temecula Valley Toyota, and Shamrock Foods. To see a full list of sponsors and photos, visit Oak Grove’s website at www.OakGroveCenter.org/upcoming-events/.