What made the day even more special was that this was CalSAWS’ first charity golf tournament since 2019. After plans were canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic, an all-star volunteer committee was determined to bring the tradition back. The behind-the-scenes team teed off their day at 6 am, welcoming generous technology partners and CalSAWS staff ready to enjoy a day on the course.

From creatively decorated golf carts and custom shirts made for the occasion to sponsored holes with interactive games, every detail reflected the enthusiasm and care that went into making the tournament a success. Participants happily purchased raffle tickets throughout the day, helping raise even more support for youth with foster care experience.

The camaraderie continued long after the final putt. Golfers gathered for a delicious BBQ and vegan fajita lunch in celebration together. An enthusiastic raffle followed with prizes that seemed to multiply as they were given away.

Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for. Event organizers Holly, Britt, and Logan announced that the tournament raised more than $23,000 for Aging UP!

Applause and even tears erupted. It was a truly moving reminder of what can happen when a community comes together with generosity and purpose.

We are deeply grateful to every sponsor, golfer, volunteer, donor, and organizer who helped make this event such a meaningful success. This generous support will build connections, develop life skills, and build confidence for youth from foster care as they navigate adulthood.

The California Statewide Automated Welfare System (CalSAWS) is the case management and eligibility determination system for county staff across all 58 counties in California responsible for administering vital programs such as CalFresh, Medi-Cal, foster care, and other general assistance and relief to children, families, and individuals. This was an especially meaningful partnership because many of our youth and the foster families they live with are recipients of such programs.

Thank you, CalSAWS, for driving this event straight down the fairway and for investing in brighter futures for youth from foster care. We are grateful beyond words.

Thank you to each of the 109 people who chose to invest in our mission and empower youth with foster care experience toward healthy, self-sufficient futures!

It was incredible to watch generosity pour in throughout the day. We are honored to have received matching funds from Nugget Market, Brent Gove eXp Realty Group, and Friends of Aging UP (a small group of volunteers and former mentors). Because of these committed dollars, the impact of every investment up to $13,000 went twice as far in supporting youth who deserve it most!

Our services of one-to-one mentoring, positive recreation, life skills education and adulting support serve as a preventative approach to some of Sacramento’s largest issues, like homelessness, human trafficking, substance use, and mental health challenges.

Mentoring relationships offer more than just a trusted friend and role model. They help to ease anxiety, build resiliency and support overall mental health, which ultimately heals the effects of trauma. As one of many — nearly 900 — deserving nonprofits that were reaching out for support, we appreciate every gift received and every like and share to spread the word.

These tax-deductible dollars will equip 13-to-24-year-old youth from foster care with the skills and resources needed to thrive into adulthood.

Big Day of Giving is a program of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation to raise unrestricted funds for nonprofit organizations that strengthen the capital region. This year, the region raised $15.4 million dollars for local nonprofits! It is an inspiring day of philanthropy that began in 2013, and we are proud participants.

Numbers are preliminary, before potential company giving campaigns, mailed checks, and BDOG prizes or Golden 1 matching funds.

Thanks to our friends Christina Angeles and David Temblador, every teen and young adult in our program will receive gifts from their wish lists. The couple hosted their 12^th Annual Holiday Fundraiser, inviting friends, family and colleagues to join them in making the holidays brighter for youth who are often forgotten.

We are honored to be selected for the 4th year as the couple’s teen organization. And this year was a first for our Community Director, April, to attend the festive event, where guests enjoyed tasty appetizers, drinks and live guitar strumming.

This special fundraiser raised more than $7,500 in wish list items, monetary contributions and gift cards for Aging UP’s youth. With the addition of David and Christina’s 2025 pledge and other generous investments, it also raised $10,250 to benefit our overall program!! Truly, the holiday spirit of generosity abounded, and we are beyond grateful.

After the event, Christina graciously organized all the items for a smooth pick up. Then our team and a kind volunteer festively bagged and wrapped the presents for Mentors to deliver to their mentees on behalf of “Friends of Aging UP.”

The bountiful presents will spark joy for our teens and young adults! We are incredibly grateful to Christina, David and their guests for the extraordinary gift of care and generosity.

This FUNdraiser started with a lively happy hour, including drinks and hors d’oeuvres, networking, perusing fantastic raffle packages and taking pics at the photo station. It also included a delicious BBQ dinner, Topgolf play with an onsite golf pro, contests and more. Of course, the best part was celebrating our mission and hearing from Mentor Michael about his past 4 years of mentoring his mentee, Elijah— now a young adult.

Our special thanks to sponsors: The iFish Group (IFG), Fitness Machine Technicians Sacramento and Northern California, and Capitol Advisors Group, LLC. A huge shoutout to Ann Spade, Team My58, Event Reporter with KCRA/KQCA, for bringing her energy and excitement as our emcee. We also thank Accenture for providing a team of hardworking volunteers, all the local businesses (listed below) who contributed to our raffle packages, along with Sacramento Top10 for highlighting our event.

Proceeds from Play to Empower help connect youth from foster care with supportive mentors, essential resources, and positive experiences so they can thrive as adults. Everyone who attended, whether a player or spectator, those who gave a special donation or purchased an Empower Flag, and those who bought raffle tickets or took part in the wine pull, made an impact that directly empowers the young people we serve.

Thank you again to everyone who attended, supported, and made Play to Empower 2024 such a fantastic event!

Local support thanks to:

90 Plus Wine Club

Alchemy Salon & Spa

Article Consignment Boutique

Asha Urban Baths

Bailarin Cellars Winery & Tasting Room

Camden Spit & Larder

Carvalho Family Winery

Fairytale Town

Heringer Estates Family Vineyards and Winery

Kimmie Candy

Leatherby’s Family Creamery, Elk Grove

Nothing Bundt Cakes, Fair Oaks Blvd., Sacramento

Mikuni Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar

Rendez-vous Winery

The Sophia, Home of B Street Theatre

Sacramento Republic FC

Seka Hills Winery

Tipsy Putt, Sacramento

Todd Taylor Wines

Total Wine & More

Trader Joe’s, Elk Grove

Various individual donors: A. Dickinson, J. Domoto, D. Sakazaki, and I. Johnson

It was a blast to have so many people from the Aging UP community together. This year’s Play to Empower was extra special because it included former and current board members and mentors as well as longtime and new supporters and volunteers. It also featured our special guests of honor Mentee Star and Mentor Kristin. They have both been in our program for 5 years — since our beginning — and brought a fun and meaningful element as they spoke about their mentoring relationship.

Play to Empower is a unique fundraiser that allows guests to feel what it’s like to be at a Group meetUP. Our goal is that, just like our teens, guests enjoy a supportive, stigma-free environment where they engage in a fun activity and enjoy tasty food. We’re proud to say this was accomplished!

Topgolf provided the perfect venue to recreate the meetUP vibe. The event was a success before it began thanks to our sponsors IFG (the iFish Group), a Sacramento-based IT consulting firm, Tidy Revival, a decluttering and home organizing company, and Capitol Advisors, LLP, California political consultants in education policy and finance.

The event included happy hour with drinks and hors d’oeuvres, more than 20 raffle baskets, a photo station and a putting challenge. Many guests entered our wine pull thanks to support from 90 Plus Wine Club and took home a surprise bottle of wine.

Guests were also able to purchase Adventures (exciting activities or needed items) that our youth requested. The youth’s requests were displayed on flags that attendees could grab and then donate to make that adventure happen. An anonymous donor matched $5,000 of Adventure funds raised — thank you, Adventure Makers!

Our friend Freddie Silveria of FSA Auctions was the event emcee with our Co-founder April. After brief remarks, guests enjoyed a delicious fajita dinner and 2 hours of Topgolf play and contests. The Closest to the Pin contest winner won 2 tickets to see Jay Leno with dinner at Red Lantern at Thunder Valley Casino Resort. The new Lucky Draw contest was a hit. Guests purchased a card from one playing deck. The suspense built as Freddie pulled a card from a new deck and invited 4 potential winners to the stage. One held the matching card and won lower-level Sacramento Kings tickets and a Mikuni gift card!

We are so grateful to everyone who came out to make this event fun and successful. We extended gratitude to our energetic volunteer team, who made the event possible.

Join us!

Whether you’re an avid golfer or have little to no experience on a golf course, this event is for everyone! It kicks off with happy hour and flows into a fun-filled evening. Additional perks include a delicious BBQ dinner, Topgolf play, onsite golf pros, contests, raffles, networking and so much more.

We will be privileged to welcome Sacramento County Supervisor Don Nottoli as our Guest of Honor.  All this fun and, best of all, event proceeds will connect youth from foster care to mentors and resources to thrive!

Individuals* 21 years and older can register to play or to attend as a spectator (all the event amenities without Topgolf play). Sponsorship and volunteer opportunities are also available; please contact Communications Director April for more information at april@agingup.org.

4 – 5 pm                Registration, Happy Hour, Opening Remarks (featuring Supervisor Don Nottoli)
5 – 8 pm                Dinner, Topgolf Play, Prizes and More!

Space is limited and this event is expected to sell out. Attendees must be 21 or older.