Olympic Boxer Carlos Balderas to Be Recognized Satruday During Joe White Memorial Dinner and Auction
United States Olympian Carlos Balderas will be honored for his recent accomplishments during this weekend's 15th annual Joe White Memorial Dinner and Auction. The largest and most important fundraiser of the year for Allan Hancock College athletics will take place Saturday, August 27, 2016, at the Santa Maria Elks Lodge, #1538. The silent auction begins at 5 p.m. Dinner will start at 7:07 p.m. and the live auction will follow.
Balderas won his first two bouts in the Rio Olympics. He advanced to the quarterfinals where he lost by decision to Cuba's Lazaro Alvarez, the top seed in the 60 kg division. Balderas graduated from Santa Maria High School last year. He started boxing as a seven-year old when his father was looking for activities to keep him out of trouble.
A live auction item that will likely be near and dear to Balderas' heart is a boxing glove signed by five former heavyweight champions. One of just 50 in the world, the glove is autographed by the late Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Joe Frazier and Larry Holmes. Also on the live auction block are unique dining experiences, like a tropical filet and lobster dinner, two passes to a taping of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," tickets to Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco 49ers games, a basketball autographed by Kobe Bryant and the 2015-16 Los Angeles Lakers, a four-day stay at a luxurious villa in Oregon, and plenty more.
The Olympic boxer will autograph a wine bottle to each winner of the 20 live auction items.
Sponsored by the Hancock College Boosters, Inc., the annual event has raised $719,000 for the Hancock athletics program. Donations have resulted in the renovation and naming of Joe White Gymnasium and John Osborne Field, upgrades to the softball and baseball fields, the purchase of new scoreboards and several other projects that benefit student-athletes.
The Elks Lodge is located at 1309 North Bradley Road in Santa Maria. Doors open at 5 p.m. for a social hour and silent auction.
Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the event. The price of admission to the fundraiser is $60 per person. Sponsorship opportunities range from $500 to $ 5,000.
For more information, contact Jada Clark at (805) 720-7493 or visit the college's athletics website at athletics.hancockcollege.edu/joewhitememorial.