Volunteers from the FISH Fund and team members at Breaking The Chains gathered in Fresno in 2024 for a $100,000 check presentation. This year's FISH beneficiary is the Boys and Girls Clubs of Fresno County. Photo by Gabriel Dillard

The Fund for Indian Subcontinent Heritage (FISH) held its annual gala in September, raising $120,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Fresno County and continuing its efforts to support non-religious, uplifting causes in the Central Valley.

This year’s gala, held on Sept. 6 at Pardini’s, sought to raise funds for the Boys and Girls Clubs Phoenix Curriculum, which focuses on providing gang and substance abuse prevention for youth aged 6 through eighteen.

The curriculum, which was introduced to the nonprofit by the Fresno State College of Health and Human Services, provides vital education on the dangers of opioids, including the dangers of fentanyl.

“We set out to unmask a crisis, and our community answered with courage and heart,” said Annu Bezwada, FISH board president.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Fresno County serve over 3,300 youth annually at its 14 clubhouses, providing safe spaces that offer academic support and essential life skills. The grant aims to expand the reach of the Phoenix Curriculum to an additional 260 youth throughout rural and urban Fresno County.

The program, which has already been implemented at the club’s juvenile justice campus club, works to empower youth to make positive choices, build resilience and remain on track to achieve their fullest potential through program mentoring, life skills and collaboration with local law enforcement.

“Sponsors, partners, and friends didn’t just fill a ballroom — they stood up for Fresno County’s kids and showed what it looks like when generosity meets purpose,” Bezwada added. “This was our strongest Gala yet, and I’m profoundly grateful. The unity we felt in that room will carry forward long after the lights go down.”

Funds raised at the gala will directly support clubhouse services, including bringing speakers to clubhouses, organizing outings and conducting Smart Moves gang and drug prevention programs. It will also help provide program services and recognition incentives for members, the printing of curriculum and program materials at each club and will pay for a bus trip to visit the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.

This year’s FISH gala saw over 350 attendees and featured catering and specialty drinks by Pardini’s, as well as food served by Brahma Bull Catering.