Annual chess fundraiser takes on baseball theme
The number of people turning out in memory of Santa Clarita Valley’s young chess champion, Sean Reader, with intentions of contributing to a fund set up in his name has increased every year since it started, and Saturday’s fundraiser was no exception.
At least 180 attended an honorary dinner and silent auction at the Robinson Ranch Golf Club Saturday night that raised money earmarked for chess scholarships and to buy magnetic chessboards for young cancer patients in hospitals, organizers said.
This year, the master of ceremonies for the event was television actor Jeremy Johnson, best know for his recurring character, Andrew, on the hit TV series “Modern Family.”
The event was couched in a baseball theme called the “Home Run Derby,” pitting tables representing baseball teams against each other in games of trivia.
It was an evening of “J.J. and Jay” as Johnson played off against Jay Stallings as players on opposing baseball teams. Stallings runs the nonprofit California Youth Chess League of which Sean Reader was a member.
Leader of the Meadows Elementary School chess team, Sean Christian Reader was 12 years old when he died on Aug. 14, 2006.
The ninth annual fundraiser in his name featured a dinner, live music, a raffle and silent auction, with all proceeds going to Sean’s Fund.
Some of the silent auction items up for bid included gift cards to local coffee shops and original pieces of art.
Stallings and his wife, Michel, founded the California Youth Chess League in 1996. Since then, Stallings has taught chess to more than 20,000 Santa Clarita Valley youngsters at 18 local schools.