INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The Youth Guidance Mentoring & Activities Program hosted its 38th Annual Tropical Night Luau at the Grand Harbor Clubhouse Saturday evening, once again luring a huge crowd to the Hawaiian themed fundraiser.
The festivities began in true luau fashion with Doug Borrie, YG Executive Director; Felix Cruz, Mentoring Program Director; Laurie Connelly, Events Coordinator, and other board members and staff greeting guests with the traditional placement of floral leis around their necks.
Making their way into the party, guests stopped to bid on a wide variety of silent auction items, and perused the numerous live auction items which were later sold to the highest bidder, enticed by Commissioner Wesley Davis acting as auctioneer. Among the items to choose from were a weeklong stay at a cabin in North Carolina, jewelry donated by John Michael Matthews, dining and golf packages and dozens of other fabulous items.
The event has traditionally been hailed as one of the best parties in town and it was back into full gear this year, with locals enjoying the tropical buffet, cocktails and great music by the popular Gypsy Land Band. Guests clustered in the bar areas and dance floor, looking festive in their Hawaiian garb – many with Hibiscus flowers tucked behind their ears – letting their hair down and enjoying the culmination of a particularly hectic season.
Funds raised at the Luau help provide programs and services to Indian River County children who are in need of mentors to help get them through some tough times as they grow up. The Youth Guidance mentoring programs rely less on one-to-one mentorships now; instead centering on group activities to keep the kids connected.
“We now have 232 kids coming through our doors every week,” said Borrie. “It is going great. We teach them social skills, feed them dinner every night, which creates a whole social network thiat connects them to the community. These group events help the kids now meet someone to mentor them whom they know rather than be partnered with a stranger.”
Brian Connelly was one of the very first to be mentored at YG. He was 9 years old when he was paired with Sam Block, and spent a lot of time with Block’s family on river trips. Although now an attorney at Gould Cooksey Fennel, Connelly was raised in a dysfunctional family, describing life with just his father and three brothers as akin to living in a frat house.
“Just seeing how a happy, functional and loving family treated each other and to be with them was really something special. Being on the river with my boys reminds me of Sam every time,” said Connelly, an avid boater.
Connelly and wife Laurie currently mentor two boys and say they find taking them to the movies, camping and boating out on the river to be incredible experiences.
“It has come full circle,” said Connelly. “What I thought was going to be a burden because of having to raise my own boys and having a full time job too, is something so unbelievably rewarding. We look forward to it all the time.”
