Some 400 volunteers are joining forces Monday and Tuesday in a bid to raise $100,000 to help fund Manteca/Lathrop Boys & Girls Club programs that provides a safe haven for 1,500 youth.

The 33rd annual Boys & Girls Club Telethon is being shown live over Comcast Cable 97 on Monday, Nov, 19, from 5 to 8 p.m., and Tuesday, Nov. 20, from 5 to 10 p.m.

People are also encouraged to drop by the clubhouse at 545 W. Alameda St. during the same hours to see live entertainment as well as bid on nearly 200 live and silent auction items.

Those dropping by the club can purchase $20 treasure chest keys to unlock a treasure chest with over $500 worth of gift certificates from stores such as Orchard Supply Hardware, Guess, and Banana Republic. Only 100 keys will be sold.

Food also will be available for sale.

The heart of the fundraising effort is the phone bank where volunteers contact members in a bid to secure pledges.

Manteca Fire Chief Kirk Waters, who is chairing the phone bank effort as well as serving as board president, understands how important the club programs are in a life of kids.

He credits the San Mateo Boys Club for helping him stay out of trouble and on track when he was growing up.

One of the most unusual live auction bid items available is the ability to have a street named after you that will be part of the Raymus Homes’ Oleander Estates neighborhood expected to break ground south of the 120 Bypass next year near Union Road and Woodward Avenue.



Among the other 45 live auction items are:

• A Night out with the Sacramento Kings that includes 10 tickets to the Chicago Bulls game eon Wednesday, March 13, food and beverage vouchers for each person, early access to watch players shoot around before the game, group photo on the court, name on the scoreboard, and an autographed Kings item.

• Two sides of beef that are split into seperate bid items.

• A unique tour of the South San Joaquin Irrigation District tunnel system.

• A Delicato tour and wine tasting package.

• Batting practice with Mayor Willie Weatherford.

• Romantic date night at the Gallo Center plus dinner and wine.

• Two Southwest Airlines tickets.

• Guided fishing tour with Don Moyer.

• A yard clean-up with a $200 value.

• Teeth whitening.

• An elliptical machine.

• Oakland Raiders football tickets.

• Napa Valley wine train with dinner for two passengers.

A complete list of live auction items appears in an ad on Page A8 of today’s Manteca Bulletin.