The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley marked 25 years at a gala Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village. The organization has served more than 20,000 children since its 2001 founding.
Esha Mander, a 15-year-old Westlake High School sophomore, took the stage as the organization's Greater Conejo Valley Youth of the Year. She told the crowd about being abandoned by her father at age 10, left with her mother and sister in a hotel room.
"I still remember the smells of hotel rooms, and the realization that we weren't on vacation," Mander said at the gala, as first reported by The Acorn.
Mander went on to become a Keystone leader in the club, mentoring younger members. She carries a 4.64 GPA. She balances advanced coursework and a part-time job, according to The Acorn.
Gala emcee Matthew Diloreto shared numbers that underscored the organization's reach. The clubs distributed 77,000 snacks over the past year and logged more than 3,000 summer program registrations, more than double the prior year. In 2025, the organization provided nearly $700,000 in scholarships and financial aid.
Diloreto said no one is turned away for inability to pay.
The evening also honored Cory Risvold with the Cal Johnston Service Award, named for the organization's founding chairman. Risvold's Thousand Oaks-based Risvold Construction Company has long supported the clubs, and Risvold serves on the organization's board of governors.
Cal Johnston founded the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley in 2001 after observing that many clubs nationwide were isolated from schools, making it hard for children to attend. He built the local chapter around clubhouses on middle school campuses, according to the organization's annual report.
The clubs now operate five school-based locations serving children from Calabasas to Thousand Oaks. Recent upgrades include refreshed multi-sport courts at two Thousand Oaks sites: the John Notter Club at Redwood Middle School and the Morton Club at Sequoia Middle School. Both courts now have lines for basketball, volleyball and pickleball.
Jessica Assad, a 17-year-old senior at Agoura High School, also spoke at the gala. Assad was selected as one of 12 teens nationwide to serve on the Boys & Girls Clubs of America's National Youth Advisory Council.
Lake Sherwood resident Gary Stephani was among the supporters bidding on live auction items to raise funds for the clubs. The organization's next programming cycle runs through the school year at all five campus locations.
