Carlsbad CA— Luke Matteson, a board member for nearly 30 years, has been named Honorary Chair of Boys & Girls Clubs of Carlsbad’s 34^th Annual “Fly Me To the Moon” Gala.
A graduate of El Camino High School, Luke was a member of the Oceanside Boys Club during his elementary school years. “The Club did a lot for me,” said Luke. “It provided many activities and outlets to keep me engaged and expand my horizons. It taught me that I could do anything I wanted and empowered me to be successful. It also kept me out of trouble – or at least more trouble than I would have gotten into without it,” he jokes.
Now Senior Vice President at First Citizens Bank in Carlsbad, where he manages commercial banking for corporate entities throughout San Diego County, Luke joined the Boys & Girls Clubs of Carlsbad Board in 1986. At the time, he worked for La Jolla Bank and Trust, which had facilities in Carlsbad. “Greg Nelson, who banked with us and was on the Club Board, recommended that I come to a meeting. I went and I never left.”
For Luke, the motivation to be an active board member for nearly 30 years has always been the same – the kids. He has served as Board President, and led capital campaigns to renovate the Village Clubhouse in the late 1990s, and raise nearly $8 million to build the state-of-the-art Bressi Ranch Clubhouse, which opened in 2013. “Probably my proudest moment was when a young man approached me at a function, and told me what the Club meant to him, and that it inspired him to be a teacher.”
“We are so pleased to honor Luke, who has given so much of himself to the Boys & Girls Club,” said Gala Co-Chairs Barbi Nelson and Viola Wheelihan. “This recognition has been a long time in the making, and is way overdue!”
Luke and his beautiful wife, Terri, live in Vista, and have three grown daughters (and several cats). One of their daughters, Paige, has worked at the Club for several years. “I get to hear first hand the impact the Club has on the kids,” says Luke. “We are truly making a difference in many young lives.”
The “Fly Me To The Moon!” Gala will take place at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa on Saturday, October 17, at 6:00 pm. More than 550 business and community leaders are expected to attend this social event of the season complete with lavish cuisine, lively entertainment provided by Bonnie Foster Productions, and exhilarating silent, platinum, and live auctions. The event is projected to raise $250,000 in support of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Carlsbad’s proven after-school programs. Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, please contact Pat Maldi at 760.444.4893, email pat@bgccarlsbad.org, or visit www.bgccarlsbad.org