Guests Pony Up Funds for Good Cause in Pacific Palisades

Safety Harbor Kids, a Malibu-based nonprofit that enriches the lives of orphans, foster and homeless children, held its fourth annual polo fundraiser Saturday at Will Rogers State Historic Park.

Founder John Williams and his wife, Petrie, chose the venue because they love watching polo.

“I thought what better place to have an event than at a polo match,” Petrie Williams said. “It’s something we love to do anyway.”

Guests arrived in style, the men in light colored suits and the women wearing colorful dresses and hats reminiscent of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman—after the makeover.

In addition to the opportunity to watch a polo match between Santa Monica and Malibu, the fundraiser included a silent auction, dinner and wine tasting.

“Every single item here has been donated, from the food from Taste at the Palisades, to the tables, chairs and umbrellas from the Universal Studios props department, and the wine from Fotinos Brothers Winery,” Petrie Williams said.

Safety Harbor Kids is a community-supported charity, according to John Williams. The organization serves more than 2,000 homeless and foster children.

“We started out four years ago with nothing but the generosity of our community members,” he said. “None of us take any salaries. We’re all volunteers.”

The polo event was also an opportunity for Safety Harbor Kids to honor two of its most generous volunteers with Goodwill Ambassador awards. Josh Morgan, manager and part-owner of Duke’s Malibu, was named businessman of the year and Adam Silbar was named member of the year.

Petrie Williams refers to Morgan as “the man who saved Christmas” because last year when Safety Harbor Kids was having trouble getting sponsors for its Christmas party for the children, she sent out 11,000 emails asking for help. Only one person responded: Josh Morgan.

“He donated all of the food and all of the staff for the holiday party, and he also started a toy drive,” she said.

Duke’s Malibu is dedicated to helping the community and supporting kids, Morgan said.

“That’s why I responded when I got that email,” he said. “Safety Harbor Kids genuinely cares about these kids and wants to change their lives. It’s a very unique and special organization.”

Silbar and his wife, Debra, sponsored one of the Safety Harbor Kids children, but Silbar went the extra mile to help out, Petrie Williams said.

“Adam went down to the homeless shelter where the child lived and gave him one-on-one tutoring,” she said. “He had heard that the child was having trouble in school.”

Safety Harbor Kids holds events throughout the year where children from group homes and shelters can have fun while acquiring the resources to help them succeed in life. John Williams, who grew up parentless himself, had a vision to create a center where kids growing up the way he did could come to learn how to be successful adults.

“These kids, at age 18 they get kicked out of the place where they are living and they’re not ready to be on their own,” John Williams said. “We just try to pass along what we’ve learned to these kids.”

The goal of the organization is to build a College, Career and Arts Education Center as a hub for volunteers to help at-risk children living in group homes and shelters in and around Los Angeles, he said.

“Last year we raised approximately $40,000 in cash and about $100,000 in donations. . . . We would like to meet the same goal this year,” John Williams said.

For information about Safety Harbor Kids or to make a donation, call 800-277-0497 or visit its website by clicking here.