Bonita’s Jeff and Julie Phair recently received the prestigious community service award from the High School Sports Association. The award was given to the Phairs at the association’s annual banquet on Feb. 7, attended by more than 250 San Diego County high school coaches, sports officials and former professional athletes.
The Phairs were honored for their many contributions to student athletes in South County. Youth organizations the Phairs have supported include the YMCA, AYSO, Little League, the Boys and Girls Clubs, Casper Youth Sports Foundation, Bonita Runners booster club and the Eastlake Educational Foundation.
Specific athletic programs in the Sweetwater Union High School District receiving support have included Sweetwater High School (cross country), Hilltop High School (tennis, softball and baseball), Eastlake High School (cross country), Bonita Vista High School (football, lacrosse, cross country, water polo, golf, softball and track and field), Otay Ranch High School (baseball, track and field, football and cross country).
For 13 years the Phairs donated more than 20,000 hours of their time as cross country and track coaches at Bonita Vista High School. The Phairs, owners of EastHills Realty and Phair Real Estate Development Company in Chula Vista, have provided summer internships and construction jobs for hundreds of local high school student athletes. For more than a decade their companies were the major corporate sponsors for the annual Bonita Roadrunners 5K Race. The proceeds from the event went to supporting cross country programs at several Sweetwater district high schools.
The Phair’s brokerage company, EastHills Realty, together with realtor partner Tim Rhea, will be major corporate sponsors for May’s U.S. Olympic Training Center Fun Run. The proceeds of the event will benefit several youth sports organizations. In addition, for every home sold by EastHills Realty this year, the Phairs will be donating $1,000 to a local youth sports organization selected by the home’s seller.
The Phairs are Chula Vista natives. Both attended Hilltop High School. Julie (class of 1976) was the class valedictorian and set several school records in track. Jeff (class of 1970) was captain and MVP in football and is in both the Lancer Hall of Fame and the Sweetwater Union High School District Hall of Fame.
“Our participation in youth and high school sports growing up gave us a great appreciation for the importance of good coaches,” Julie Phair said. “A good coach teaches more than just athletic skills.”
Jeff Phair added, “A good coach is a mentor in teaching young people life skills, time management, focus and determination, goal setting, teamwork, integrity and good sportsmanship.”
“We were both very lucky to have had great coaching and the opportunity to participate in many youth sports activities while growing up in Chula Vista,” Julie Phair continued. “Our companies have enjoyed success in Chula Vista for many years (Jeff Phair was one of the original developers of EastLake in the early 1980s), so it is important for us to give back to the community in which we grew up.”
“We are both very humbled to have been selected for the High School Sports Association’s community service award,” Jeff Phair said.
The Phairs join elite company. Past recipients of the award have included Chargers owner Alex Spanos, Sweetwater district superintendent Joseph Rindone, KUSI sportscaster Paul Rudy, Hall of Champions founder Bob Brietbard, Billy and Shirley Casper and former Charger Donnie Edwards.
