With over 2,300 persons enjoying the offerings of 42 local restaurants and caterers, the 7th edition of The Taste 4 Los Al -- held last Saturday evening (October 20) at the Los Alamitos Corporate Center -- raised over $232,000 for Los Alamitos High School booster clubs and facilities.

Getting a huge break when the winds held off for 12 hours before turning deadly, 24 LAHS booster clubs -- from athletics and other activities -- participated in the event, which raised monies through the sales of tickets (over 2,650 sold), beverage sales, raffles, 50/50 drawings and over 83 tables of silent auction items.

The total ticket sales and attendance were up about 10% over last year's totals, while the gross revenues increased over 18%.

On Nov. 13, representatives from the participating booster clubs picked up their checks (shown right, click for bigger foto) Because everybody always asks (although few ever really listen) here is where the monies raised will go:

• Griffin booster clubs directly receive about $149,000 -- about $70,000 from ticket sales (they keep $25 of each $45 ticket sold) and over $80,000 from the Silent Auctions and gear tables, raffles, 50/50 drawings, etc. (They keep all the proceeds minus the table rental cost)
• Expenses will run nearly $40,000.
• The remaining funds will go to OUR Los Al, the sponsoring non-profit, which will put the money into its account for facilities, mainly an all-weather track at the high school. That account right now is well over $110,000.

The 42 restaurants who participated do it for free, partly for marketing value but also as a way to help out a large group of their most loyal customers.

The restaurants are asked to provide free samples for only 500 people, but most bring far more food than that. Attendees return the favor by patronizing the restaurant. Attendees also received a restaurant reward card with well over $100 in potential discounts. Those who didn’t attend but would like the card can buy one for $10 (which will go into the OUR Los Al fund -- all weather track fund). To obtain it email localsports@earthlink.net .

17 booster clubs participated in the Silent Auction which had a record number of 83 tables this year -- located in a tent 170 feet long x 30 feet wide.

The Taste is a grass roots effort, put together solely by local parents who have or had children in the Los Al District.

The event is technically hosted by OUR Los Al (Organizations United to Renew Los Alamitos HS) a 501(c)3 non-profit. That group handles securing the permits, restaurants, equipment, supplies and helping coordinate booster clubs involvement. They also have a goal of helping the high school improve its facilities.

To date OUR Los Al has paid to have a full survey done of the Los Alamitos HIgh School athletic areas, has recently given the high school $5,000 to help pay for the new scoreboard in the gym, and has promised to assist in the purchase of additional weight room equipment, and the resurfacing of the gym floor next summer.

"By happenstance or whatever, this is a special community," said Larry Strawther, the President of OUR Los Al. With the military bases on the east and the freeway and river on the west, we're virtually an island. Plus, we're a one-high school district, and all the parents and kids have pretty much met each other at youth events like AYSO, NJB, baseball, or scouts or elementary school carnivals or auctions and by the time we have kids at the high school, most of us know each other very well. Throw in that statistically families stay here longer than anywhere else in Southern California and we have a huge number of second and third generation kids who grew up here and returned to raise their own kids. All those factors help give us a small town flavor and leads to a very tight community and a willingness on the part of parents, grandparents and alums and parents of alums to want to help out a lot."

The Taste is just one example of this attitude. In seven years it has raised nearly three-quarters of a million dollars.