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Jo Anne Darcy and Chef Juan Alonso of Le Chene French Cuisine are the co-founders of the Classic Wine Benefit Auction and have remained active since its inception. This gala fundraiser is the major source of monies for the Home-Delivered Meals program in the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center’s large service area. In today’s tight budgetary times, your generous support of this event is more crucial than ever in allowing us to continue our mission to assist the elderly to age at home with independence, dignity, and quality of life.
In Santa Clarita, our approach has always been to first deliver a meal to those in need, determine the dynamics, and stabilize the situation. Under no circumstances will we allow a senior to go hungry! We are able to follow through with our mission thanks to the years of compassionate effort of Juan Alonso, Jo Anne Darcy, members of the Zonta Club of the Santa Clarita Valley, and the support of this community that gives so generously year after year. We thank all those who attend, the hard-working volunteers, and generous sponsors, donors, and underwriters.
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Chef Juan Alonso opened Le Chene French Cuisine Restaurant in September of 1980 and hasn’t looked back! The address at 12625 Sierra Highway has long been a local favorite, but Alonso has added on and embellished the facility, and those words would pale at the excitement he’s brought to the menu and wine cellar.
Le Chene has won “Most Romantic” in both the Daily News and the Los Angeles Magazine. It has also won prestigious European dining awards. The wine cellar at Le Chene offers 32,000 bottles - 900 different wines available from all over the world. It has been awarded “Best of Award of Excellence” by Wine Spectator magazine. The Committee on Aging is both proud and grateful to have Chef Juan Alonso as the Wine Master of this event. His expertise in wine has led many to return to this event yearly as they have come to trust that the wines on the auction block are well worth acquiring.
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Jo Anne Darcy is a founding member of the Santa Clarita City Council. She served as mayor four times (1990, 1994, 1998, and 1999) before her retirement in 2002. Her major areas of interest have been the City of Santa Clarita, transportation, educational issues, women’s issues, and most near and dear to our hearts—seniors’ issues. The SCV Committee on Aging bestowed upon Jo Anne Darcy the title of “Guardian Angel” of our seniors in 1996, and she continues to earn it each year!
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We’ve been blessed by the continuing support of these two people, the community, and the generosity of our patrons and sponsors. This year, we again thank Mr. & Mrs. Terry Beeler who have opened their hearts and the gates to their park like estate, and Duane Harte and Barbara Stearns-Cochran, Co-Chairs of this year’s event.
The senior population of Santa Clarita Valley is estimated to be growing at 1,000 per year minimum. This doesn’t include new arrivals of seniors who come to live closer to their loved ones as the valley grows. We are just now at the leading edge of the Age Wave when Baby Boomers begin to turn 50. Within just 20 years, the number of residents 60 and older will more than double, with seniors 85+ growing statistically twice as fast as the other age groups of seniors.
The following people have chaired the event in the past, and we continue to be grateful for the effort, expertise, and history of service offered by these Santa Claritans and the community at large:
| 2004 |
Barbara Stearns-Cochran and Duane Harte |
| 2003 |
JoAnne Darcy |
| 2002 |
Jill Harper and JoAnne Darcy |
| 1999 - 2001 |
Judy Penman & Barbara Stearns |
| 1991 - 1998 |
JoAnne Darcy |
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