On Tuesday, February 11, 2003, the inaugural meeting of "Caterina's Girls" Club was held at Anaheim White House. Seventy-five women attended the lunch. It had been Bruno's dream to honor his mother, Caterina, by creating a charity in her name. Bruno has helped raise funds for, and has been a member of the board of directors of, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Anaheim (BGCA) for the past several years. "Caterina's Girls" Club will directly benefit female members of the BGCA.

Bruno talked about his ideas for the club. He plans on holding a benefit luncheon several times a year with 100% of the proceeds going to "Caterina's Girls" Club and he encouraged those in attendance to invite friends to the luncheons. Bruno wants the members to be actively involved and asked for input and ideas from the group. He stressed that the club will have no officers, just members.

Since it’s formation in 2003 the Caterina’s Girls Club has raised over a quarter of a million dollars for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Anaheim and serves over 35,000 hot meals a year to underprivileged children. The generous donations of Caterina’s Club members have allowed the program to donate a 12 passenger van to transport the children from where they live in local motels to the Boys & Girls Clubs. This transportation was also extended to their families so that they may go to and from a medical clinic in Santa Ana. Caterina’s Girls Club has also contributed to a free dental clinic as well as piano lessons for the Boys & Girls Clubs members. The children have been provided with one-on-one tutoring on a daily basis, allowing them to achieve better in school. In addition to the tutoring, upgraded computer software was also provided to aide the children in furthering their education.

After Hurricane Katrina had devastated a family from Louisiana, Caterina’s Girls Club donated $2,500 to help them begin again in California and also offered them jobs at Anaheim White House Restaurant, which they accepted and worked there for over a year. They were able to put themselves back on their feet before returning to Louisiana. Recently 9 other survivors were invited to dine at the Anaheim White House Restaurant as special guests of the owner. At founder Bruno Serato’s 50th Birthday Party, instead of accepting personal gifts from friends he asked they make donations on behalf of Caterina’s Girls Club. It totaled $20,000 and was donated to the Boys & Girls Club.

If you are interested in making a donation, please send your checks to the Anaheim White House Restaurant attention Caterina’s Girls Club at 887 South Anaheim Boulevard, Anaheim, California 92805.

• 11 Heros Among Us (OC Family - January 2008)
• A Delicious Masterpiece (IN Magazine - October 2007)
• White House luncheon to support Caterina's club (OCRegister.com - Friday, August 31, 2007)
• Caterina's Club to sample items from new cookbook (Anaheim Bulletin - April 2007)
• Anaheim homeless children get room to stretch (Los Angeles Times - December 11, 2006)
• Charitable Matters (OC Family - July 2006)
• Restaurateur Honored for Commitment to Community Service (Restaurant.org - September 2005)
• Giulietta conquista Los Angeles (L'Arena - 25 Gennaio 2006)
• Hottest 25 People of Orange County (OC Metro - October 2005)
• St. Boniface Adult Choir Presents ‘Gaudete’ (Anaheim Bulletin - November 2005)
• Kudos To Bruno (Great Taste - October 2005)
• California Operator Nabs 'Restaurant Neighbor' Top Honor (California Restaurant Bulletin)
• La Faccia Buona Di Caterina (L'Arena Di Verona - September 2005)
• Restaurateur Provides Kids With More Than A Meal (Orange County Register - September 2005)
• California Restaurateur Honored (National Restaurant Association - September 2005)
• The Strands That Bind (Orange County Register - August 2005)
• Benefit Honors A Benefactor Of Motel Kids (Orange County Register - August 2005)
• State Winners Of National Philanthropy Award (California Restaurant Association)
• A Lifetime Of Caring (Orange County Register - August 2005)
• Anaheim White House Event Helps Caterina's Club (Orange County Business Journal - 2005)
• Annual It's Your Business Holiday Spirit Award (Orange County Register - December 2003)

I think all of you should know what an incredible thing Bruno did for us. He had a birthday party for his big 50. He invited at least 200 people and the place was packed. He did not charge them and asked them to make a donation to Caterina's club. That night he raised $20,000.

I would ask each of you to do your best to thank him. He never asks us for anything. I would personally like to ask all of you to do your best to give him as much business as you possibly can. He is the best example I have ever experienced of a board member using their business to help generate revenue for a Boys and Girls Club. I appreciate anything you can do.

Thank you all for all you continue to do.

Michael Baker
Executive Director
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Anaheim

Dear Bruno:

What a difference a year makes! I wanted to give you an update as to what we have been able to do thanks to the support of Caterina's Club. To date the Caterina's Club has raised over $30,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Anaheim. This is an incredible amount of money to be raised for a cause that came into existence just over a year ago. I thought you would like to know what we have been able to accomplish with the funds you have raised:

  • Purchased a brand new 12-passenger van with matching money from Change a Life Foundation.
  • Provided Free Piano lessons for over 100 members for six months.
  • Provided transportation to and from free Medical Clinic in Santa Ana for motel families.
  • Provided 1 on 1 tutoring help for over 200 members on a daily basis for past six months.

I am also excited to report that thanks to Caterina's Club we are holding our first Dental Clinic at our John Machiaverna Unit on September 4, 20004. This will be free for all kids that need any type of dental work. This is a cooperative effort with the Boys & Girls Clubs and the USC Dental School with the costs being completely underwritten by Caterina's Club.

As you can see the impact your group has made over the past year has been incredible. I can't express in words how much of a difference this is making for our kids. The best way for you to see the difference you are making is to stop into one of our clubs and see it for yourself. I would be honored to give one of your Caterina's Club members a guided tour of our programs. I am confident that anyone that takes me up on this offer will walk away feeling great about supporting this cause you were so generous to start.

Sincerely,
Michael Baker
Executive Director
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Anaheim

To all my friends,

This is the Boys & Girls Club, Taormina unit in Anaheim. I would just like to let you know that Anaheim White House Catering, on behalf of Caterina's Girls Club members, will delivery free food to these poor children every night. The director called me and sent me this photo. He also said that some of these children never eat real food. I am asking all of you to try to help Caterina's Club and help us continue to do this program. I love it...the children can eat now. Can you imagine food from the 5 star restaurant Anaheim White House...I'll be honest, they are my favorite customers now, even if is for free. Love you all.

Ciao,
Bruno