SPRITES of East County celebrate class of 2017

By
B.J. Coleman
-
WEBSprites.jpg

Sprites are magical, supernatural creatures — elves, fairies or goblins known to surprise people with their presence. The SPRITES of East County are human, but nonetheless surprising, as an organization of lovely daughters and mothers, who prize volunteering in service to community charities. 

Sprites are magical, supernatural creatures — elves, fairies or goblins known to surprise people with their presence. The SPRITES of East County are human, but nonetheless surprising, as an organization of lovely daughters and mothers, who prize volunteering in service to community charities. 

The SPRITES of East County celebrated their graduating senior girls, the class of 2017, with a gala dinner party called “A Night in Monte Carlo.” The festive event, staged at the Viejas Resort in the upstairs Oak Ballroom, was held on March 4.

“SPRITES” is an acronym standing for Spiritual, Philanthropic, Recreational, Inspirational, Training, Educational, and Social. The group focuses on teaching girls in grades 7 through 12 about the value of supporting local philanthropies through donated hours and fundraising activities.

The organization has long, deep roots in East County. Founder Betty Brayshay described the first SPRITES class of 1968. “We started with six girls,” Brayshay recounted. “That was a difficult time. We formed the organization to help girls have the courage to resist drugs and bad influences. And next year we will celebrate our 50th anniversary.”

The objective of the new group was to create a support group of mothers and daughters who would serve local charities. “The girls bonded together, even though they came from four or five schools that year,” Brayshay recalled. That initial class received training in how to form a nonprofit board, along with electing a president, treasurer and secretary. They were charged with selecting which charity they would support and deciding how to raise money in that endeavor. They opted to host an ice cream social on behalf of supplying furnishings for the newly built diagnostic laboratory at then-Children’s Hospital in San Diego.

“This is my legacy, my little prize, all these wonderful girls,” Brayshay summed up.

The overall mission of SPRITES has been to teach “the value of a life-long commitment to community service.” Several of the mothers of current classes were SPRITES themselves during their school years. The number of charities that the group supports has expanded significantly since those early years. The girls determine how to distribute the funds that their activities raise among the ones they have chosen for that year. (And if one class of SPRITES cannot meet a target level of money for a charity those girls have selected, the effort is opened for all classes of SPRITES to assist.)

The late-afternoon and evening activities included a silent auction of donated items displayed during cocktail hour in the ballroom lobby. The after-dinner stage show commenced with live painter Stephen Fishwick hand-painting a piece of abstract art that was later live-auctioned. And then the classes of girls took the stage for Monte Carlo-themed dance routines, with titles such as “Oui” and “Grand Prix.”

Members of the departing class of 2017 were celebrated individually, with their parents presenting each girl for recognition and to receive a flower as a token of acknowledgement for her service in SPRITES of East County. Twenty-three young women were honored as graduates. The group currently consists of 208 mothers and daughters, supporting 24 philanthropies and nonprofit organizations throughout San Diego County, primarily in East County.

The annual gala is the organization’s only major fundraiser. Planning takes six to eight months each year. The dinner party attracted over 500 attendees, with tickets priced at $75 apiece. These admirable girls, who were honored throughout the evening, volunteer for 5,000 hours each year, supporting such local charitable groups as St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center, Good Samaritan Retirement Center, Meals on Wheels, Rachel’s Women’s Center, Partners Therapeutic Horsemanship, Rady’s Children’s Hospital, Salvation Army programs and others. The class of 2016 raised $50,000 last year. The SPRITES hope to bring in donations totaling $100,000 this year. Information on the group and opportunities to contribute to their work can be found at www.spritesofeastcounty.org.

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