Money raised by benefit will go toward the many programs of the Edward Boss Prado Foundation

Published in the June 21 – July 4, 2017 of Morgan Hill Life

By Staff Report

Fans of Frank Sinatra won’t want to miss An Evening with The Boss, a special fundraising gala held at the elegant Granada Theater in downtown Morgan Hill June 23. Money from the event will go toward the many programs organized by the local nonprofit Edward Boss Prado Foundation.

The event will start at 6 p.m. The Sinatra-inspired dinner will be created by executive chef Mark Johnson. His excellent cuisine will be paired with specially selected wines from Leal Vineyards.

Prado Foundation programs include Cecelia’s Closet & Food Pantry, Share the Runway (which provides high school girls in need with prom dresses), No Child Goes Unfed (which provides local students with lunch tickets if they do not have the financial resources to pay for school lunches), Walking with Dignity (which provides gift cards to purchase new shoes for elementary school students in need), the Back to School Fit For Fall, and the HOPE Program (which provides Morgan Hill police cars with care packages to give to local homeless individuals).
The foundation has grown to provide resources helping children and families in Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy.

Started by local businesswoman Cecelia Ponzini in honor of her son, the nonprofit started off with her giving food and clothing away for years from her home.

When her husband Gary suggested moving the operation to a small property they owned, Ponzini seized the opportunity to grow her operation.“I saw a vision of what it could be,” she said. “I realized then that people really are giving.”

A common thread connecting all of the foundation’s programs is the philosophy of “no questions asked.” For Ponzini, this is a crucial aspect of the Prado Foundation’s activities. It originates from the days when she was a young mother at 19 with four children and her first husband was in prison.

“I ended up on welfare, on food stamps. It was really hard,” she said. “It was very degrading to walk to the store, and only be able to buy milk and not deodorant.”

Major sponsors of An Evening with The Boss fundraising gala are Ladera Grill, Kaiser Permanente, Cochrane Road Self Storage and GMH Today magazine.

Tickets are $125 and can be purchased at pradofoundationgala.eventbrite.com.