Bank Charity Scores Birdy with Local Tournament

California United Bank hosted its sixth-annual golf tournament in Thousand Oaks to raise money for three Southern California charities. The Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley; Casa Pacifica, a residential charity for abused and neglected children; and Easter Seals Disability Services of Southern California will all benefit from the popular event. The Oct. 8 tournament drew so many participants that more than 40 participants couldn’t play that day. “We were oversold, but Sherwood Country Club was very gracious and allowed us to offer them another day to play and still keep the money raised from the tickets to donate to these charities,” said David Rainer, chief executive of the Encino-based bank. The amount of money raised has not yet been tallied, but roughly $700,000 was raised cumulatively from the last five tournaments. “We started this shortly after the bank’s inception because we all feel very strongly that we have to give back to the communities we operate within, and that the children in those communities are important,” Rainer said. The Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley has been a recipient of the funds raised since the first tournament, while the others have been added over the years to reflect the bank’s widening philanthropy. Other charities in the communities where the bank has branches will receive funds on a rotating basis at future tournaments. “This is our biggest and most visible event,” Rainer said. “But we think that it’s really important to give back to the communities surrounding our banks, and we work with more than 75 charities each year.” Gumps Honored for Civic Involvement Long-time Valencia residents and business owners Barry and Pati Gump have been honored by College of the Canyons with the annual Silver Spur Community Service Award. The Gumps, best known for their business of providing portable toilets at construction sites, have donated time, money and services to the school for nearly 25 years, said Murray Wood, chief development officer for the college. “The Silver Spur is really an award that we give to someone who has worked to make life better for everybody in the community, and the Gumps fit that profile perfectly,” Wood said. Support from the couple helped the college build its University Center, which houses outreach programs from schools including Cal State University, Bakersfield; Cal State University, Los Angeles; and National University. “It became an important endeavor for Pati and I because children of our employees, students from local schools and in the community could get an education without having to go over the hill,” said Barry. The Gumps are second-generation owners of Santa Clarita-based Andy Gump Inc., which aside from toilets, rents barricades, trailers and other equipment for a wide variety of events, including movie sets. The couple also donate to a variety of other charities. “Because of the business we’re in, we’re exposed to a lot of different nonprofits and charities,” Barry said. “We’ve been drawn to some of them and really wanted to help.” The Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita, Michael Hoefflin Foundation, Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital Foundation and the SCV Child & Family Center have all received contributions from the couple, who also raise money for research on cystic fibrosis. Despite their contributions, the Gumps have largely kept quiet about their work. Wood said the couple prefer to help the community without a lot of fanfare. “I remember during the development of the campus garden, which is used by some classes, when it needed fences,” he recalled. “I talked to Barry about it and next thing I knew, it had a fence.” Child Care Book & Toy Drive The Child Care Resource Center, a Chatsworth non-profit, began its winter 2012 Book & Toy Drive this month, with the goal of reaching 5,000 children in low-income families in the San Fernando and Antelope valleys. The drive, part of the organization’s broader “What a Difference a Book Makes” literacy campaign, gathers book and toy donations from local business, individuals and chambers of commerce. The largest donation to date has been from Walt Disney Co., which gave more than 15,000 children’s books and made a financial contribution, said Susan Montalvo, the group’s spokeswoman. The books are distributed to children up to age 13 at center events and Head Start Preschool classes, as well as through Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCA locations and homeless shelters, among other locations. For information on donations or helping with collections, call (818) 717-1036. Staff reporter Kelly Goff can be reached at [email protected] or (818) 316-3135.