It started with a dress and a dream.
Charity Prestifilippo had always wanted to attend the Oscars — the gowns, the glamour, the electric feeling of a room full of people celebrating something bigger than themselves. When that didn't pan out, she decided to do what she does best: create it herself.
Then life handed her a better reason to throw the party.
When her sister's lifelong best friend and her husband — a self-employed contractor with no insurance — faced a devastating spinal tumor diagnosis, the financial freefall was immediate. Surgery. No income. No safety net. Charity couldn't write a big check, but she could fill a room.
In early 2006, with four months of planning and a whole lot of heart, she hosted the first Stars of the Valley at Wilson Creek Winery. A rainy setup night gave way to a gloriously sunny day of gowns, laughter, and a community showing up for one of their own. It felt like a reunion for old Temecula. And everyone left saying the same thing: you should do this every year.
So she did.
Nearly two decades later, Charity for Charity — the nonprofit born from that first fundraiser — has grown from a vision of an awards night into a deeply rooted community organization that identifies local families and individuals facing life-altering hardships and walks alongside them with financial support, resources, and something just as powerful: belonging.
Each year, Stars of the Valley honors three beneficiaries, called Star Bennies, who share their stories with a room full of people who show up not just to write a check, but to genuinely care.
What emerged over the years is something Charity didn't fully plan for: a network. A family. Bennies from different walks of life finding each other across the room at the annual Christmas party, saving each other seats, and discovering that someone else finally gets it.
"There are so many layers of Charity for Charity," she reflects. "God continues to bring the right people in."
Like any organization worth building, this one has been tested. At the five-year mark, a painful board conflict forced Charity to choose between a friendship and her mission. She went home that night and cried on the floor. She woke up, leaned into her faith, and made the call.
"I look back and I know I was being tested," she says. "Can you handle this? Because this is yours."
That moment shaped the leader she is today — more confident, more direct, and still deeply relational.
Charity for Charity is approaching its 20th anniversary — and Charity can feel the momentum building toward something new. Bigger sponsors. Deeper reach. A growing podcast, Bumper Shoot, where she sits down with beneficiaries and lets their stories speak for themselves.
And if you ask her what she'd say to the women of Temecula reading this, her answer comes easily: stay connected. To your people, your purpose, your family, yourself. Act on your instincts. Put it on the calendar. Show up — for others, and for the life you actually want to be living.
"I take every opportunity," she says. "Connection is everything. And when you put effort into people, the rest follows."
To learn more, follow along at @charityforcharity on Instagram or tune into the Bumper Shoot podcast, available on all major platforms.
"I look back and I know I was being tested. Can you handle this? Because this is yours." — Charity Prestifilippo, Founder, Charity for Charity
"They find each other across the room, save each other seats — and discover that someone finally gets it."