Spring Philanthropy Round-Up

June 11, 2025 by Harold Matzner

Harold Matzner is proud to support the Desert’s many nonprofits that strengthen our Coachella Valley community, including these four events from the 2024-2025 season.

On December 5th, the McCallum Theatre hosted its annual gala to honor community leaders Lori and Aubrey Serfling and showcase superstar Josh Groban. Over $1 million was raised for the performing arts center, which serves nearly 40,000 students in arts education programs. Lori and Aubrey Serfling are active philanthropists in the Coachella Valley, supporting many of the deserts’ organizations.

The gala was made possible by sponsors H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation, Lisa Hofmann, Barry Manilow and Garry Kief, Jan Salta, Rebecca Benaroya, Ron and Sylvia Gregoire, Janet Geary and John Miller, Brooke Koehler, Suzy Leprino and Gary Albrecht, Mary Vaughn Lester, and Jack and Maggy Simon, alongside Harold Matzner.

On January 28th, Eisenhower Health’s Passion for Excellence hosted over 6,500 guests at the Acrisure Arena. Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer and his band performed at the event honoring 5,000 physicians and employees of Eisenhower Health who serve over 1.1 million patients annually. Their performance highlighted passion, tying in to the theme of the evening.

Alongside Harold, the evening was sponsored by the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation and Mary Lester.

On April 9th, Desert Cancer Foundation hosted its annual Corks and Cuisine Fundraiser at the Tamarisk Country Club. 225 guests participated in a silent auction featuring gorgeous jewelry, golfing four of the best courses in the desert, wine touring experiences, and more. A 14-karat yellow gold bracelet and a 2025 JR Thomas custom golf cart were raffled off. Many doctors from Desert Regional were in attendance, as well as many philanthropists and donors.

Harold’s co-sponsors included Desert Care Network, Spencer’s Restaurant; Comprehensive Cancer Center at Desert Regional Medical Center; Frizzante Fine Jewelers; Desert Oasis Healthcare; Luci Curci Cancer Center; Walter Clark Legal Group; Beacon Pointe; Contour Dermatology; Gilead; Eisai; BeOne; Bristol Myers Squibb; and AstraZeneca.

Harold would like to thank all of the amazing donors who joined him in sponsoring these events!

Harold Matzner

Entrepreneur, humanitarian, and philanthropist, Harold Matzner, has made his home in the desert for more than 30 years. The owner of Palm Spring’s popular Spencer’s Restaurant and CEO of a NY/NJ based branding, advertising and marketing company, Harold is credited with revitalizing the Palm Springs International Film Festival and founding the successful business concept of targeted “shared mail”.

In 2017, the year of his 80th birthday, Harold was one of the eleven men and women selected nationally by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans as a member and inducted by Judge Clarence Thomas in the courtroom of the United States Supreme Court. Harold was also honored with a special 24-standard page birthday section in the The Desert Sun and a two-part front page story in Palm Springs Life in the November and December editions. He was honored in November 2017 by the General Patton Memorial Museum with the dedication of the Matzner Tank Pavilion and three World War II operating tanks, and in the same month was honored by the McCallum Theatre for 10 years of service as Chairman and for being the first person to give the Theatre $5 million or more.

He also rescued and revived the world famous Palm Springs Tennis Club and turned its lunchroom into Spencer’s, one of the City’s hottest see-and-be-seen restaurants. Spencer’s is named after his beloved 110-pound Siberian husky. Mr. Matzner is in his 11th year as the Chairman of the Board of the McCallum Theatre, his 14th year as Chairman of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and is the long-time Executive Vice Chairman of the Palm Springs Art Museum. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Eisenhower Medical Center and Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center. He also chairs several charity fundraising events each year.

He has received many awards from the charities that he supports. He has been honored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals as the “Philanthropist of the Year”, and for the past six years he has served as Honorary Chair of the local National Philanthropy Day event. He has also been recognized by Gilda’s Club as the “Man of the Year”, by the McCallum Muses as “Man of the Year”, the City of Palm Springs with the “Richard M. Milanovich Community Service Award”, as “Angel of the Year” by Angel View Children’s Foundation, as “Businessperson of the Year” by the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Waring “Lifetime Achievement Award”, “Richard M. Milanovich Humanitarian Award” by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, and by Desert Samaritan’s as “Samaritan of the Year”, and will be honored in May by the Coachella Valley Symphony, to name a few. Mr. Matzner has been a benefactor to many other non-profits, both here and on the East coast.

Mr. Matzner is one of the Palm Springs valley’s largest donors to philanthropy and has contributed more than $70 million to area non-profits since 2000. Among the many local charities benefiting from his philanthropic efforts are the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center, AIDS Assistance Program, Desert Symphony, American Cancer Society, The Living Desert, Cabot’s Pueblo Museum, Coachella Valley Symphony, General Patton Memorial Museum, ACT for MS, College of the Desert, Eisenhower Medical Center, Desert AIDS Project, Desert Cancer Foundation, Palm Springs Animal Shelter, Jewish Family Services of the Desert, American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), StandWithUs, Neuro Vitality Center, Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre, Temple Isaiah, Bighorn BAM (Behind a Miracle), Tools for Tomorrow, Palm Springs Air Museum, Mizell Senior Center, Well in the Desert, FIND Food Bank, Pegasus Riding Academy, LGBTQ The Center, Equality California, and the Human Rights Campaign.

He is credited with the key leadership role in creating Palm Springs’ Measure J (a 1% sales tax increase that has helped to fund a $200 million downtown revitalization program, while providing an additional surplus of $12 million per year to rebuild the city’s infrastructure). He is a community activist. He earns no money from any of his activities in Palm Springs, including his restaurant, Spencer’s.

Mr. Matzner’s star is located at the foot of his friend Sonny Bono’s statue in the heart of Palm Springs.