Contour Dermatology donates $10,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley

Contour Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery Center's Tuxes and Tiaras Day of Beauty was a fun event where guests were greeted with bowties and mini tiaras, crowned with cosmetic treatments and given the opportunity to watch live demonstrations of procedures they may be considering, all while benefiting a great cause — the Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley serve more than 6,000 Coachella Valley youth annually at four full-service clubhouse locations in La Quinta, Indio, Coachella, and Mecca and three after-school sites.

Dr. Timothy Jochen, medical director of Contour Dermatology and Lee Erwin, executive director, have been long-time supporters of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley and made a $10,000 donation to the organization from the recent event.

Commenting on the generous donation, Quinton Egson, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley, said, "It means a lot to us. First of all, it means they care about the well-being of kids and families in the valley. Secondly, it's an honor because they recognize that our mission is important and that we do important work to level the playing field for kids and families. And they also value the importance of partnerships. We can do a lot individually. But we can do so much more collectively."

Egson also added: "Contour gets it. They get that we're all connected, and we need each other to make the community a better place. I like that they give to so many agencies because there are a lot of other agencies doing good work, just like we are."

The contribution will go toward the organization's Project Learn educational programs, Egson said. Under the umbrella of Project Learn are three initiatives — Power Hour, Grad for Mas and a college scholarship program.

Power Hour is a program to help kids with homework and encourage them to do an hour of it right after school. Grad for Mas is designed to keep kids on track with promotions from middle school to high school. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley currently has 21 students receiving annual college scholarships. "As long as they maintain their grades, we stay with them throughout college," Egson said.

It's a common theme of young men and women benefitting from the Boys & Girls Clubs and continuing to be involved with the organization — some as staff, volunteers or donors. Egson, who attended the Indio club as a youth, has worked for the organization for 39 years.

One of the current staff members who helps kids with their homework is 19-year-old Sebastian Ortega. Graduating from Summit Hight School this past summer, Ortega joined the staff this past June at the La Quinta club as a part-time recreation aide, giving back to the club where he attended from 6th grade through 12th grade.

"It's a fun, comfortable place to be," he said. "I always looked forward to coming." Now he has the opportunity to inspire and mentor valley youth. "The kids are great. They always come up to me and show me something they did and tell me what happened in their day. The best part of this job is the relationships with the kids. It's great."

Another former club kid serving as a part-time staff is Adrian Montes, an 11th grader at La Quinta High School. Montes is currently serving as a games room assistant and supervises and organizes table tennis, pool tournaments, among other games. He plans to go to College of the Desert to study business after graduation. He credits the Boys & Girls Club of La Quinta with making him a better person.

"It gave me the opportunity to do stuff I never did before. It took me out of my shell and got me involved in community service through the Keystone Program, which I did for about five years." What he said he enjoys most about his work at the club is "helping the kids and letting them see themselves. To watch them do things they haven't done before and now they're getting good at it, that's what I like."

For more information about Contour Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery Center, visit contourderm.com. For more information about the programs and services of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley, visit bgcofcv.org.

Erika Z. Byrd, APR is a Coachella Valley-based freelance writer and public relations specialist. She can be reached at erikabyrd.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Contour donates $10k to Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley