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Mario Lopez
Chula Vista, California
"I was at the club every day from age 8 to 18." |
Before making a name for himself in entertainment,
actor and talk show host Mario Lopez was a wrestler
at the Chula Vista Boys & Girls Club, earning
Club-wide and state championships.
“My mom wanted to keep me
out of trouble,” said
Lopez. “The best thing she did was get me involved
in the Boys & Girls Club.”
His first acting
role was in the television series AKA Pablo, but it
was as high school jock A.C. Slater
on the NBC sitcom Saved by the Bell that he would become
best known. Subsequent credits include Breaking
the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story, and the thriller
Outta Time, which he also produced. Lopez also hosts
several television shows, including Pet Star, America’s
Most Talented Kid and the talk show The Other
Half with Dick Clark, Danny Bonaduce, and Dorian Gregory. |
Sgt. Maj. Alford McMichael
Hot Springs, Arkansas
"I am grateful for what life has given me and what the Club provided." |
In 1999, Alford McMichael, the 14th sergeant major
of the U.S. Marine Corps, made history as the first
African-American appointed to the post. The highest
ranking noncommissioned Marine officer, the highly
decorated
sergeant major advises Congress and the USMC Commandant
on issues affecting Marines worldwide, with a personal
focus on the needs of Marine Corps families. The sergeant
major has come a long way from segregated Hot Springs,
where the Club was the only colorblind place to play.
He credits the Club, which he joined at age 9, with
giving him a vision of what the world should and could
be.
“The Club gave me
those things I use today in the Marine Corps,” said
McMichael. “You made a difference
in one child’s life.”
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Bill Perocchi
Lawrence, Massachusetts
"The staff taught me strong values and integrity." |
Since 1999, Bill Perocchi, CEO and part-owner of Pebble
Beach, has been at the helm of one of the world’s
most renowned golf resorts, a continent removed from
the housing project where he grew up. After the stress
of a family tragedy threatened to derail Perocchi’s
future, Lawrence Boys & Girls Club staff helped
secure him a full scholarship to a prestigious boarding
school, paving the way for a successful career. Perocchi
has shown his appreciation to Clubs in many ways,
from golf benefits to private school scholarships
for Club members. To honor retiring Club director
Jack Menzie, Perocchi recently made a surprise $1
million pledge to the Lawrence Club.
“I will always be indebted
to the Boys & Girls Club
for providing me with a second home,” said Perocchi. |
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