May 8, 2008

Living the good life

AVCS Auxiliary presents Evening in Vegas Casino Night

By Jeanne C. Carbone
Staff Writer

Are you feeling lucky? Then Almaden Valley Counseling Service Auxiliary has an event for you—Evening in Vegas Casino Night, which will be held at the Golf Club at Boulder Ridge on May 17.

AVCS Casino Night chair Athena Moreton and AVCS Auxiliary President and co-chair Jayne Kwon at the Boulder Ridge Golf Course where An Evening in Vegas will be held on May 17. Photo by Young Kwon of 123CHEESE Photography

Attendees will enjoy a night for high rollers in semi-formal attire at the Evening in Vegas Casino Night with games of chance including blackjack, Texas hold‘em, roulette and craps, as well as cocktails and scrumptious hors d’oeuvres, dancing, a martini and cigar bar and a live and a silent auction. Not only is a good time promised to all, but the event benefits the Almaden Valley Counseling Service Auxiliary [AVCS].

“Due to the financial situation in our area, the schools having so many fundraisers, and spring break being so early, we had to cancel the Snow Ball Fashion Show,” said AVCS Auxiliary President and Casino Night co-chair Jayne Kwon. “The counseling center really needed a fundraiser so we’re asking the community to support us and attend the event. It’s for our kids.”

Two teen suicides in Almaden Valley in 1980 sparked concern for the lack of counseling resources for youth in the community. Members of the Almaden Valley Joint Venture Churches, with funding from the Almaden Valley Women’s Club, founded AVCS. Through the years it enhanced the scope of services to include therapy for all ages, including families and couples as well as parenting classes. The geographic service area also expanded beyond the initial 95120 zip code and added counseling in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, French and Vietnamese. In 2000, the name was changed to AVCS.

The AVCS counselor-on-campus program started in 1984, placing therapists at schools to provide students with counseling, crisis intervention, outreach and referral services, and now serves over 19 area schools. In 1984, the auxiliary was formed as the primary fundraising division, creatively producing events such as the Snow Ball, the Almaden Times Classic Walk/Run, the Home Tour and Santa’s Breakfast. All are necessary to keep the nonprofit’s doors open.

In the early 1990s, parenting classes were added with a goal of developing parenting skills and child development. In 2003, anger management and conflict resolution workshops were included for adolescents dealing with anger. This year they added counseling for divorcing couples and their children.

The original AVCS location was a church basement, but in 1985 the organization moved to its current location on Crown Boulevard, adding more space as it grew to serve the public. AVCS maintained the ability to provide services to the community by adopting an affordable sliding fee schedule, keeping fees reasonable with the efforts of dedicated auxiliary volunteers, grants, business and individual sponsorships and community donations.

Kwon and fellow Evening in Vegas Casino Night co-chair Athena Moreton are busy making sure the evening will be one that no one forgets and that everyone will be talking about for years to come. Admission is $140 and will purchase $250 of chips as well as hors d’oeuvres, two drinks per person, dancing at the Golf Club at Boulder Ridge and the live and silent auction. Group hosts for the evening can purchase discounted tickets with five or more guests the price at $135 per person and 10 or more at $130 per person.

Living the high life will continue long after the evening with the live and silent auction treasures. AVCS chair Mimi Qubain has collected donation items such Jonas Brothers and Earthquake tickets, wine tasting for 10 at a local winery, dinner for two on the 12th hole at Boulder Ridge, a Mercedes Benz for a weekend and a raffle of 12 months of fine dining.

“I believe in giving back to the community and being involved with the place I live,” said Casino Night chair Moreton. “Casino Night is going to be a great time to get out and be with your neighbors in the community. You will be giving so much to an organization that has done so much for our neighborhood and beyond.”

Guests at the Evening in Vegas Casino Night can party from 7:30 p.m. to midnight. To purchase tickets, contact AVCS at (408) 997-0200.