The 17th annual Charity Lip Sync Contest presented by the Soboba Foundation and Soboba Casino Resort at the SCR Event Center June 13 did not disappoint. The night was filled with talented dancers and “singers” as 13 nonprofits vied for multiple cash prizes. Recreating fan favorites through mashups and more, the variety was endless, and the performances were priceless.
When notified they were selected to be part of this year’s event, nonprofits did not waste any time choosing what to perform and scheduling practices for those who were willing to volunteer to help them earn some money for their very deserving causes.
At the start of the sold-out event, Soboba Foundation President Dondi Silvas said, “This is a great way for the community to come together and have some good clean fun.”
Tribal Council Chairman Isaiah Vivanco welcomed everyone to the Soboba Casino Resort on the Soboba Indian Reservation. “This event is an opportunity for charities to raise money needed to continue their efforts and we’re just honored and grateful to be in the position to provide that opportunity.”
Emceeing the event with his undeniable wit, humor and co-host Catherine “Cat” Modesto, was Andrew Vallejos, Sponsorship Coordinator for the Soboba Foundation.
Vallejos thanked the many sponsors and supporters for their generosity. “But we know this event wouldn’t be what it is without the real MVPs—our nonprofits, families, and individuals who hustle hard, sell those tickets, and show up strong to support,” he said. “We see you and we appreciate you!”
“The stage is set, the mics are fake, and the competition is very real,” Vallejos said before introducing the first act of the night. “Let’s do this!”
Each of the following groups received $500 for coming out on top in different categories. Black Voices of the Valley featured Kendrick Lamar’s “They Not Like Us” and were recognized for Best Song. Best Choreography went to the Boys & Girls Club of Menifee Valley, known as Boys & Girls Club of Inland Valley, for their rendition of the Outkast classic “Hey Ya!” and shaking those Polaroid pictures. Count Me In, formerly EEK Fitness, was deemed Most Entertaining for Walker Hayes’ “Fancy Like” recreation. The Greater San Jacinto Valley Chamber of Commerce was considered Most Creative as they paid homage to ABBA. Valley Community Pantry got Best Cast/Ensemble for their performance of The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine.” The Soroptimist San Jacinto Hemet Valley Club and Youth for Truth (My City Youth), tied for Best Costume. The former took on Luke Bryan’s “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” and the latter did “Summer Nights” from Grease. Hemet Valley Recovery Center Alumni was Most Original with a mashup of several different genres of songs. It was a performance fueled by resilience, rhythm and recovery.
“This set is more than entertainment—it’s a celebration of strength, second chances and support,” Vallejos said as an introduction.
HVRC Program Manager Benjamin Wahl said this was the first time the group had done anything like this, adding that Alumni Liaison Ryan Irwin is always looking for ways they can volunteer in the community.
“We decided that we as staff would be the ones to perform to show our appreciation of the alumni—how hard they work, what they do for each other and for addicts still suffering,” Wahl said. “And we knew we wanted to do something that wouldn’t take away from the message of recovery and community.”
Their first number in the mashup was the Affirmation Song, featuring Snoop Dogg. Performing with Wahl and Irwin were Bill Ferro, Jonah Villegas and Christina Wood. “It was fun, and we thought the (dog) masks were funny with affirmations that we actually encourage for the clients struggling with negative self-talk, low self-esteem, or feeling alone, anxious or depressed. The first time you start telling yourself affirmations in a mirror feels silly, but it helps, and for sure not as silly as getting in front of 600 people in dog masks.”
This was followed by “Footloose” dancers Jace Stewart, Brandy George, Nicole Fox, Jonah Villegas and Clinical Nurse Manager Kaci Rodocker, who then appeared as Katy Perry for Swish Swish with Counseling Coordinator Bill Ferro as Floss Boy.
Chelsea Irwin and Teresa Walker assisted with costumes and coordinating the supporters to come through the audience while the “choir” ended their act with “Lean On Me.” Wahl said, “Being in recovery, Lean On Me was really the song we wanted to tell the alumni, and perhaps those out there still suffering from addiction, that you aren’t alone and there’s actually people like us out there who will love and support you until you’re able to do it for yourself. When I witnessed all those candle lights turn on and then the rows of them come to the front…that was incredible and powerful to me.”
San Jacinto Unified School District re-created the pop group TLC and won over the audience, receiving 321 votes for the People’s Choice award. With Doris McCoy as T-Boz, Autumn Clark as Chilli and Tiffany White as Left Eye, they transported the audience to the music era of the 90s and had a great time doing it.
“Between all of our schedules, we had time for only four 90-minute practices to look at videos of TLC to come up with some signature moves and choreography,” said McCoy, who is the Payroll Supervisor for Business Services at SJUSD. “At our last practice together, we filmed ourselves so we could practice on our own. All of this in less than a three-week window.”
She said the winnings will be put toward hosting an athletics banquet at the end of the next school year and also to contribute to the “HOCO Boutique” where there are dresses, shoes, jewelry, and other items for the students to find things to wear to the Homecoming dance without the expense of purchasing them in stores.
“I loved the decor this year,” McCoy said. “We love the Lip Sync Contest. It is so much fun, and it feels great to be able to get a few extra dollars to support our students in any way possible.”
The San Jacinto Education Foundation brought great props to the stage as Scott Cozart did his lip sync magic to Bob Dylan’s “Lay, Lady, Lay” while Jerry Peebles put on quite a comedic show in the background. The nonprofit earned $1,500 for their fourth-place win.
This is one of the only groups that has participated every year since the event was started by Tribal member Rose Salgado to assist local nonprofits. They took first place 17 years ago.
The Global Society for Female Entrepreneurs made quite an impression with “Barbie Girl” by Aqua and earned a third-place finish worth $2,500. Showing the global power of Barbie, there were back-up “singer” Barbies representing foreign countries, as well as Ken, played by Fleet Easton. Charmaine Summers starred as Glamour Barbie and was the one who orchestrated the performance. Others were Barbara Berg, Vegas Barbie; Jennifer Blake, U.S. Barbie; Tina Casen, Japanese Barbie; Elizabeth “Liz” Celis, Mexico Barbie; Cynthia Nemelka, German Barbie; and Cheri Reynolds as Barbie in Red.
“We at GSFE know we are ONE and we don’t compete, we complete each other, and this team worked beautifully together and were excited to make this stand out and to represent GSFE,” Founder and CEO Robbie Motter said. “They gave up their time and many drove great distances to show up for the practice.” She said the winnings will help the organization provide more technology training classes since GSFE is all about educating its members so they can soar higher in their businesses.
“Soboba does an amazing job and when you compete, you’re competing against lots of great talent,” Motter said. “Win or lose, it’s a fabulous event with great food and great people showing up.”
Sonia Ramos, founder of Boxing for Christ, also known as Another Better Chance, was the only solo act of the night, but she had enough energy for an entire group as she strutted the stage to Jennifer Lopez’s “Let’s Get Loud!” And the audience did just that, resulting in a second-place win and $5,000 for her nonprofit.
“I liked the words of the song and also, I could dance to it,” she said. “I practiced at home with my grandkids being the audience.”
She said the prize money will help with the program, taking youth to boxing competitions. “These youth love to eat; we travel for sparring and competing and it gets expensive to feed them. If my boxers could get in the ring to compete, then I need to show them that I could also get on stage and win for them to keep the program going. I have to lead by example. I had a great time.”
Taking home first place and $10,000 was the Hemet-San Jacinto Valley Chamber of Commerce performing flawlessly as Prince and The Revolution, featuring Sheila E. Vallejos introduced them by saying, “Grab your glow sticks, rewind your mental VHS, and let’s make some noise for the crew that proves you can close a deal by day and still tear up the stage by night!”
Kevin Saunders, Veronica Vergne, Brenda Romero and Alicia Alvarez brought the house down with their mashup of “Little Red Corvette,” “Kiss” and “Love Bizarre.” The idea came from the Chamber’s Chairwoman Patricia Scott.
“Practicing was conducted after working hours at the Chamber office,” HSJVC Executive Director Saunders said. “We danced in front of reflective window coverings to perfect our routine steps.”
He said the winnings will be used to create more resources for Chamber members.
Some of the judges’ comments were just as entertaining as the nonprofits. Andrea “Auntie Candy” Candelaria from the Cahuilla Band of Indians, Soboba Tribal Information Officer Mike Hiles, Director of Hotel Operations for Soboba Michelle Woodfin, and SCR Director of Marketing Cara Cohan, didn’t hold back their praise or their emotions.
Cohan told the cowboys with Count Me In, “You put line dancing to shame; very entertaining.” Woodfin said she really loved the costumes from Greater San Jacinto Valley Chamber of Commerce, who “matched the vibe” of the ABBA songs they acted out.
Candelaria told the San Jacinto Education Foundation, “I enjoyed the setup almost as much as I enjoyed the performance.” Woodfin added, “I loved the creativity, and the audience definitely enjoyed it.”
After the Hemet San Jacinto Valley Chamber of Commerce completed their act, Candelaria said, “I’m a diehard Prince fan and you guys made my night.” To the San Jacinto Unified School District, she said, “I loved the outfits, and your facial expressions were so on point!”
Jerry Peebles, who performed earlier with the San Jacinto Education Foundation, enjoyed Sonia Ramos’ solo act as J-Lo. “That was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen,” he said.
All the judges seemed enthralled with the performance by Hemet Valley Recovery Center. Candelaria commented that she loved that the act ended in such a great positive way. Vallejos told the group, “First of all, sobriety never looked so good. I’m totally impressed.”
Emcee Vallejos was not off limits to comments from judge Hiles, who told the nonprofit group when they finished, “That was so good even Andrew’s Botox smiled.” Later on, he quipped to the Boys & Girls Club, “That was a great way to end the evening. I thought your act was tighter than Andrew’s Spanx at brunch.”
Photos courtesy of StylePhotography by Alex Tapia
