Friday, July 10, 2015

WETZEL’S PRETZELS, RICK CARUSO DONATE $7,500 TO COVER LAUSD DEPOSIT AT TRUMP CLUB

By City News Service from LA Daily News | http://bit.ly/1Gctkoi

Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes is paying a price for Donald Trump’s remarks about illegal immigrants. LAUSD on Wednesday, July 8, 2015 announced it was pulling its charity golf tournament at the course for its Beyond the Bell program. The club refused to return the $7,500 deposit after the cancellation. On Thursday, July 9, 2015, two business each offered $7,500 donations to the program. (Photo by Chuck Bennett/Torrance Daily Breeze)

7/9/15, 7:03 PM PDT | A pair of local businesses donated $7,500 each to the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Beyond the Bell Branch Thursday, one day after the program pulled a charity golf tournament from a Donald Trump-owned course that refused to return the district’s deposit.

“There are good people in this world,” said Alvaro Cortes, executive director of Beyond the Bell. “I was ecstatic to receive two morning calls from donors who were willing to cover our deposit from the golf club. I am still calling people back who want to help.”

According to the district, Wetzel’s Pretzels and developer Rick Caruso of Caruso Affiliated each donated $7,500 to the program.

The event, originally scheduled for Nov. 23 at Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, was expected to raise up to $72,000 for music and entertainment education programs and Camp Skyhook, a collaboration with former Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar aimed at inspiring fourth- and fifth-graders to pursue science, technology, engineering and math education.

The district decided to relocate the tournament in response to Trump’s disparaging comments about Mexican immigrants.

Abdul-Jabbar said the refusal of the golf club to return the $7,500 deposit -- and the need to relocate the event -- could leave hundreds of students unable to attend his camp.

“Having to scramble and relocate the venue for this charitable event will divert substantial resources from implementing our programs and will likely reduce our fundraising revenue which we rely on to cover program costs for Camp Skyhook,” he said.

Abdul-Jabbar praised the businesses for stepping up to help the district financially.

“Fortunately we’ve had other people step up and refund the money to the L.A. Unified School District and we will get the kids up there to camp. That’s really all I care about,” he said.

“I’m so glad that we got a chance to replace the money and keep moving forward with our project.”

Trump has been under fire from various groups for comments he made last month while announcing his bid for the presidency. Trump said in relation to immigrants, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with (them). They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

Univision responded by cutting business ties with Trump, and NBC and Macy’s later followed suit. ESPN moved its ESPY Celebrity Golf Classic from Trump National Golf Club to Pelican Hill Golf Club in Orange County on July 14. The PGA announced this week it was moving its Grand Slam of Golf event away from the Rancho Palos Verdes course.

Beyond the Bell’s Music and Entertainment Program serves more than 4,500 students in programs including the All City Honor Marching Band, the All City Jazz Big Band and the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.

No comments: