March 24, 2007

Rafe Esquith, winner of the American Teacher Award and author of "There are No Shortcuts" and "Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire," will be the keynote speaker at the fifth annual Campaign for Kids fundraising breakfast April 26.

The event at the Residence Inn by Marriott at River Ridge in Oxnard is a benefit for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme.

It is a chance for community and business leaders to come out and support the children, said event co-chairs Retha Hux and Tony Volante.

The breakfast is a hosted event for all interested parties.

Esquith teaches fifth grade at Hobart Elementary School in Los Angeles, the second-largest elementary school in America, with a poverty rate of more than 97 percent of its students.

Sponsorship packages for the breakfast are still available, and all sponsors will be recognized at the event.

For information on how to get involved or to register for the event, call Megan McCarthy at 815-4959, ext. 204, or e-mail her at mmccarthy@bgcop.org.

The funding from the event will help support the programs and services at the 26 Boys & Girls Club locations and school sites in Oxnard and Port Hueneme, which serve 7,000 youths annually. Last year's breakfast netted more than $108,000 to support Boys & Girls Club programs and scholarships.

VenturaCountyStar.com