Be Perfect Fundraiser to Be Filled with Music and Glee

The Be Perfect Foundation expects this year’s These Boots are Made for Walking fundraiser to be filled with joy, smiles, food and entertainment.

More than 1,200 people are expected to attend the sold-out annual event at the Hafif Estate Amphitheater. The event helps the foundation provide spinal cord injury victims and their families financial support to help with the recovery and rehabilitation process.

“The last event we had we raised close to half a million dollars,” said Hal Hargrave, co-founder of Be Perfect. The money raised Saturday will help fund a center inside the Claremont Club that is working with about 30 people recovering from spinal cord injuries.

“We have overwhelming participation all over the community, really from all over Southern California,” Hargrave said.

The organization was inspired by Hargrave’s son, also named Hal , who was involved in a serious crash while driving a steak-bed truck in 2007. The younger Hargrove was fortunate to survive but suffered a spinal cord injury and now uses a wheelchair, his father said.

While the Hargrove’s were able to pay for the cost of rehabilitation, they realized others were not, he said. This moved the family to help others.

Saturday’s event is an hour and half show that features a silent auction with 350 items donated from around the area. Two wheelchair dance teams will perform and a surprise guest from the show “Glee,” will be signing, Hargrove said.

Las year’s event raised about $1 million, he said.