The Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley is proud to announce that its annual Breakfast of Champions event will feature internationally known star and Boys & Girls Club alumnus, Martin Sheen, as the Keynote Speaker for the event. The Breakfast will be held on Friday, August 12, at 812 E. Main Street in Santa Paula, at 7:30 a.m.

“We’re very excited to have him back,” Santa Paula Police Chief Steve MacKinnon said, and it is expected that “as he did last year, Martin will spend much time afterwards signing autographs, posing for photographs and interacting with other club supporters.”

MacKinnon said attendance at the Breakfast of Champions is by invitation only, although there is limited public seating available at $60 a ticket. “We traditionally have Table Captains who invite people to the event, which for invited guests is no cost, but obviously our Breakfast of champions is a fundraiser as well.”

Born Ramon Estevez, Martin Sheen grew up in the South Park district of Dayton, Ohio. The son of immigrant parents from Ireland and Spain, he was one of 10 children. Sheen and his six brothers spent almost every waking moment at their local Boys & Girls Club. They also found a positive role model in Club Director Whitey Gates, who had a tremendous impact on their lives. To this day, the Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor credits the caring Boys & Girls Club staff with providing mentorship and guidance when he needed it most.

A wonderfully versatile actor with an overwhelming number of stage, television and movie credits to his name, Sheen started out playing bad boys in his twenties and has ended up the quintessential father figure in his twilight years. A tireless liberal activist and devoted family man off screen, Sheen has been married to Janet Sheen since 1961 and is the father of four children, including actors Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez.

The Breakfast of champions is an annual fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley which provides after school and summer camp programs for children ages 5 to 18, at the Club’s two locations; 1400 E. Harvard Blvd., Santa Paula and 565 First St., Fillmore. Club members pay a $25 annual fee to attend the Club, and no child is turned away for their inability to pay the membership fee. It costs the Club $560 per child annually to provide services for its members. The obvious gap between cost of services and membership is bridged by generous donations from local businesses, private donors and local and national grants. Donors interested in providing financial assistance to the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley are encouraged to contact the Club at 805-525-7910. All donations, regardless of amount, are gratefully appreciated.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley at 805-525-7910.