For the first time, after 82 years in Santa Barbara County, Boys & Girls Clubs had to shut their doors. The closures left a void in the community, and some 3,500 kids lost access to sports, tutoring, educational programs, and healthy after-school meals.

Those clubs are back open now, thanks to the help of two local philanthropic forces: the Audacious Foundation and Virgil Elings.

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To raise money to support its after-school programs, United Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County (UBGC) will host its fourth annual golf tournament on Sept. 16 at La Cumbre Country Club. 

The tournament has grown each year with more perks for the participants. The Travis Mathew Van will be back, with each player receiving a $100 gift certificate to shop for new golf gear.

Some of Santa Barbara’s favorite breweries will be serving samples around the course, and there will be food stations and hosted beverage carts as well. Eloy Ortega and Melissa Gough will serve as co-chairs of the event for the fourth year.

The event starts with registration at 10 a.m. and then an 11 a.m. putting contest, practice and lunch. The tournament is a shotgun start at noon, followed by an awards ceremony and dinner buffet at 5 p.m.

Foursome price is $1,500 and individual players are $400. Register at http://ubgcgolf.org. There are still opportunities to be a sponsor, ranging from Tee Sign for $250 to Golf Shirt Sponsor for $5,000.

UBGC is a nonprofit youth development agency that serves children in grades K-12 from 10 locations across Santa Barbara County. It is a member of the national organization, Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

For more information, call CEO Michael Baker at 805-681-1315.

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“Corks for Kids,” the first local fundraiser on April 20 to support the new Boys & Girls Club in Buellton, was a lot of fun and a big success, said Michael Baker, the CEO of United Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County.

“We had so many new faces supporting our new club in Buellton alongside one of our strongest supporters, Tribal Chairman Kenny Kahn and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.”

“We hope the success of Corks for Kids will help this great organization continue to reach more children and provide valuable resources for parents here in Santa Ynez Valley,” Kahn said.

“I was happy to have parents, Chamber members and Buellton Rotary members attend Corks for Kids. It was great to see the community come together and support such a great cause while also having a great time,” added Buellton Club Director Jesse Gonzalez.

The United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County serves more than 2,900 children and their families in Buellton, Carpinteria, Goleta, Lompoc and Santa Barbara and holds a residential camp in Santa Ynez Valley.

The Buellton location opened in August.

For more information, visit unitedbg.org or call 805-681-1315.

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Youth Empowered can be a deceiving name to those to come across the Solvang gym. Despite its primary focus on helping young people, Youth Empowered has built a reputation as a family-friendly facility that welcomes all ages to train in sports such as wrestling, boxing, kickboxing, self-defense, power lifting and mixed martial arts.

Gym owner Chantalle Castellanos began her fitness journey at a young age. She started learning martial arts 4 years old and was boxing by 15. Her mom Lynne spent years traveling with Chantalle as she competed while instilling in her daughter a sense of community and the need to make a positive impact in the world.

Chantalle and her mom have continued to instill those values in the youth who walk through their gym doors every day since its opening in 2013.

After high school at Dunn and then college, Chantalle moved away from the valley for her job with the Juvenile Parole Board of California. While in Sacramento, she met pro MMA fighter Omar Sandoval as she trained to also go pro.

While Chantalle was away from the valley, Lynne took up boxing and power lifting at the age of 50. Though Chantalle was surprised with her mom’s new hobby, she embraced her involvement in the fitness world and when she moved back to the valley with Omar, after having their first child, the three embarked on the adventure of opening their own gym, Youth Empowered, with a focus on three areas: In the gym, in the classroom, and in the community.

The gym offers a variety of fitness classes throughout the week for ages three to adult. Their youth program offers both recreational and competitive classes in boxing and wrestling. Lynne runs the Little Superheroes class for ages three to six where kids focus on learning teamwork and physical fitness at an age-appropriate level. At age seven, kids can participate in the Youth Fitness Boxing class where skills for boxing and life are blended together, often impacting even the most difficult children.

“It’s really cool to see the change,” Lynne said.

As students grow in their skills, they have the chance to compete. The gym also is home to Central Coast Wrestling Academy. Many wrestlers from Santa Ynez Union High School’s wrestling team are a part of the competitive wrestling club.

“The wrestling program has grown tremendously,” Chantalle said.

Three of the team’s wrestlers are competing at nationals this summer.

They gym’s PrettySTRONG powerlifting program has also grown tremendously. Lynne is taking 12 competitors to Las Vegas for nationals in September. The name PrettySTRONG came from one of Lynne’s former students who persevered after she was encouraged to keep working hard.

“It’s a message to young women that you can be pretty and strong,” Chantalle said.

PrettySTRONG has, however, turned into a coed class.

What the coaches are most proud of is the strong community they have built beyond the mat or the ring. Lynne heads up Tutor Hall at a neighboring building from 3:30 to 8 p.m. most days for students to work on their academic responsibilities while under the supervision of the gym. The gym has also partnered with the United Boys & Girls Club in Lompoc to provide classes both in Lompoc and at the gym each week.

And they’ve created a space where kids in the valley always have a place to go.

“We are in the business of building relationships and community as much as the other parts of the business,” Chantalle said.

Something the coaches also keep at the forefront of what they are doing is giving back to the community beyond their gym walls. They’ve partnered with Santa Barbara-based Angels Bearing Gifts on numerous occasions to fulfill wish lists for developmentally disabled adults and writing Valentine’s Day cards.

With the variety of classes and programs offered at the gym, it’s difficult for the coaches to describe everything they do. Their passion, however, is obvious and their commitment to their gym members, from the toddlers to the seniors, is unmatched. Their hard work has translated to a close-knit community that functions as beneficial resource for the valley and beyond.

“The valley is too small to try and shine separately,” Omar said.

Youth Empowered is at 320 Alisal Road, Suite 106. For more information, call 819-1407, email YouthEmpoweredSY@gmail.com, or visit them on Facebook.

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By Raiza Giorgi

Meteorologist Meredith Garofalo does more for the community than forecasting the weather.

She and Emily Nordee have been named co-chairs for the 2017 Cooking Up Dreams, a “flavorful” benefit for at-risk youth on March 31 at the Fess Parker Doubletree Resort in Santa Barbara.

“As a television personality I consider it a privilege to be on camera and that people look to us for … how to help others. I love that I can help make a difference in our community,” Garofalo said.

Cooking Up Dreams is a unique fundraising event featuring a culinary competition between leading chefs at local restaurants, including First and Oak in Solvang.

Guests will also enjoy complimentary wine provided by Grassini Family Vineyards and Touring and Tasting and beer, a full bar, music by DJ Scott Topper, silent and live auctions, a red carpet entrance, a premium photo booth, and much more.

Garofalo has been a meteorologist with KEYT Channel 3 in Santa Barbara for three years, after moving from a station in Sarasota, Fla.

“I knew I was supposed to be on the West Coast and jumped when this position came available. It’s been such a great time so far, and I look forward to many years in Santa Barbara and making this my forever home,” she said.

Her dedication to her craft recently earned her the American Meteorological Society’s Certified Broadcast Meteorologist designation. Radio and television meteorologists pursue the CBM designation as a mark of distinction and recognition.

To earn the CBM, broadcasters must hold a degree in meteorology or the equivalent from an accredited college or university, pass a rigorous written examination, and have their on-air work reviewed to assess graphical content as well as explanation and presentation skills.

In addition to the initial educational and test requirements, CBMs have to earn professional development points to maintain their certification by attending scientific seminars or meetings and similar activities.

“The society’s Certified Broadcast Meteorologist designation clearly recognizes that the holders have the educational background and have been tested in their knowledge and communication of the sciences needed to be an effective broadcast meteorologist,” said AMS Executive Director Keith Seitter.

A big perk of her job, she said, is that as a reporter she gets to do things like paragliding and taking surfing lessons to show the public. One of her memorable segments was an inside look with the meteorologists at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

“That was by far one of my favorite because, being a weather geek, I got to have an inside look at the forecasters’ jobs there, which are the deciding factors if a rocket launch happens or gets scrubbed,” she said excitedly.

Her typical day starts with getting ready for work at 2 a.m. and arriving at the station around 3 a.m. Then she prepares her forecasts and maps for the day by 4 a.m., does her own hair and makeup, and is on camera from 5 to 9 a.m. She does another mid-day forecast and then ends her day around noon.

In her free time she loves to work out or spend time with her boyfriend Scott Wallace, a real estate developer and amateur chef. They love to travel up and down the Central Coast, going wine tasting, walking on the beach or hiking.

Not only does Garofalo bring an informative outlook on the weather, but she also is a strong presence in Santa Barbara with all of her involvement in charitable events for organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club, and Make-A-Wish Tri-Counties.

“One of my favorite events is ‘Cooking Up Dreams,’ a fundraiser for the Family Services Agency, which helps kids all over the Central Coast. We love that valley native Andrew Firestone is our emcee and he does such a great job,” she said.

This year’s “Cooking up Dreams” will be from 6:30 to 10 p.m. on Friday, March 31, at the Fess Parker Doubletree Inn in Santa Barbara. The fundraising event features a culinary competition with samples by leading local chefs and restaurants. The competition will be fierce as 300 guests and celebrity judges vote on the top dish that will win the People’s Choice or the Judge’s awards.

Proceeds from the event support Family Service Agency’s youth enrichment programs, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, school-based counseling, and youth behavioral health – all programs targeting low-income, at-risk youth.

For more information, read the March edition of Santa Barbara Family and Life Magazine or log onto www.cookingupdreams.org.

5 Things to Know About Meredith Garofalo

– She has sung the national anthem more than 100 times at various events. Her goal is to sing it at a Los Angeles Lakers game.

– Her favorite book is “The Great Gatsby,” by F. Scott Fitzgerald

– Her favorite animals are horses, and she hopes to get back in the saddle soon.

– Her great-grandfather once worked with the Rockefeller family and built the Warsaw Tavern, famous in the Drew Carey comedy show.

– She is a longtime lover of the “Grey’s Anatomy” television series.

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