by Ezabelle Janssen, Staff Writer
PASS CHRISTIAN (GG) — Stars shone brightly in Pass Christian on Saturday, April 26th, during the 10th annual Starlight Gala, benefiting the Boys & Girls Club of the Gulf Coast. Upon entering, one felt like a superstar, with complimentary champagne, provided by Harrah’s, and dazzling lights.
The Pass Christian Yacht Club was filled with stars, from decorations to attendees. Robin Roberts, alongside her sister Dorothy Roberts, graced the event for their parents’ recognition. Colonel Lawrence E. & Mrs. Lucimarian Roberts founded the Pass Christian chapter of the Boys & Girls Club in 1997. They brought together a group of community members, shocked by the fifty who gathered, and saw to it that a small building was secured, staff were hired, funds were appropriated, and the doors were open.
From then on, it grew immensely. The Roberts family planted the seed, and the community continued to nurture it.
When asked how it felt for her parents to be recognized, Robin Roberts replied: “Oh, my goodness, they were all about community, and they would be the first to say that they were not the only ones, there were so many who helped, and they were just very grateful to be able to play a role in that. My folks, my dad being in the Air Force, having traveled all over the world, the country, they always knew it was about community, and it was very exciting for them to see how this beautiful community came together, and to be recognized like this means a lot to our family. We’re very honored.”
Today, the Boys & Girls Club’s mission is to enable all young people to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. The Boys & Girls Club strives to be a haven that provides each member who walks through its doors with a safe place to learn and grow, providing children with hope and opportunity.
The Roberts family continues to be heavily intertwined with the club. Robin brought Good Morning America to the coast in 2009 to participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new building. In 2012, the Boys & Girls Club supported Robin, donating all proceeds to Be the Match, and she was presented with a gift from the Pass Christian Boys & Girls Club in 2015.
Robin elaborated on her connection to the club and expressed its importance, “I played sports growing up, and I know how important it is. My mama used to say, ‘Idle hands, you know, can get you in trouble.’ And so, the Boys and Girls Club, to be able to provide programs, after-school programs, parents are really busy, so it can supplement what parents are doing at home, and sometimes it can be in lieu of what some parents are able to do. And just to see the kids, how they enjoy one another, and how they grow. I saw the one that’s going to the senior, and she’s going to Howard, which is my parents’ alma mater. She’s the one that’s being recognized tonight. She’s the member of the year, the Boys and Girls member of the year. But I know that it is so important and vital for young people to know that they have people who are going to be there to support them and make sure that anything and everything that they want to do, that they have the resources to be able to achieve that.”
Honoree Aria Grady is the 2024 Boys & Girls Club of Mississippi Youth of the Year and a proud member of the Pass Christian Boys & Girls Club. She is a well-rounded, high-achieving student—a beautiful example of Gulf Coast brilliance.
From Costa Rica to Vena Grebenshikov, the auction had it all. Two priceless wooden Adirondack chairs, a signature auction item offered for the last ten years, painted by the Pass Christian High School art class, sold for $ 1,000. Around a dozen attendees sponsored a child for $ 1,250 each, making a significant difference in the community in just seconds.
Staying true to the celestial theme, a complimentary signed artwork by local artist Becky Edwards was given upon departure—an array of prints featuring a sleepy figure and the night sky.
Finally, when asked how it is to be back home for the weekend, Robin exclaimed, “It’s great! You know, a lot of people thought that with the passing of the Pope, I was supposed to go to Rome, and I said, ‘Thank you very much for that assignment, but I have a commitment to be at home.’ And that’s a testament to my family, that’s a testament to the people in the Pass. It’s so funny because I’ve lived on the East Coast for more than half of my life, but when people ask me where I’m from, I say the Pass. I don’t say New York, I don’t say Connecticut, where I have homes. I say the Pass. So it’s always nice to come home, and people are just so gracious, and they are celebrating me not because I’m ABC or Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts, I’m Lawrence and Lucimarian’s little kid. And that means a lot. It really does.”
The Roberts family and this event are a true testament to the heart of the Pass Christian community. A community that nurtures and supports. A community that honors and makes way for leaders.
(Photos: The “Starlight Gala” was an event to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Gulf Coast’s Qatar Center in Pass Christian Saturday, April 26, 2025 at the Pass Christian Yacht Club. Special recognition was given to the Roberts family for their support of the Boys & Girls Club. Photos by Ezabelle Janssen/The Gazebo Gazette.)
