Benefit in honor of former teammate

A dinner Saturday night will feature a meal cooked by a celebrity chef to benefit the American Heart Association.
The Desperado Club, a team of local softball players, is sponsoring a fund-raiser, which will have Gilroy resident Val Filice as the chef, to raise money and to help develop a $10,000 endowment to be given to the Gilroy Foundation in memory of a former teammate.
Team members formed the club last year, after Gary Filice, a 42-year-old teammate, died of a heart attack on the field.
The club is trying to gain non-profit status, and the
Gilroy Foundation has volunteered to be the umbrella organization for the Desperadoes, according to club president and team manager Gabriel Nino.
The Desperado Club is also trying to start the endowment, according to Nino.
“Through that endowment, 5 percent will be donated to a local charity of our choice,” he said.
Becoming aware of one’s body and health are a focus of the club, which has started such activities as having members learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation and doing cholesterol screenings. The club’s ultimate goal is to buy defibrillators to put on softball fields.
The menu for the fund-raiser an appetizer of fried calamari, Garlic-festival-style scampi, linguine and clams, salad and garlic bread. Cocktails start at 6:30 p.m., and for the $30 ticket price, diners receive dinner and unlimited beer and wine. The dinner will be held at the Coast Range Brewing Company at 7050 Monterey Road.
There are 200 tickets available, and some will be available at the door. If the event is sold out, the Desperadoes will make room for those who want to attend.
“We don’t want to turn anybody away,” Nino said.
For more information, call 847-8230 or 756-3439.