In 1995 Charles “Chop” DeMeo left the bulk of his estate to the Sonoma County Community Foundation to be used for the young people of Santa Rosa, and for programs that assist homeless women, especially those with young children.

Through a series of public meetings and teen surveys, the plans for a teen club took shape. Once a site was identified and approved, the question of what to call the teen club arose – and the answer was obvious: it would be named after the man who made it all possible, the man who was known to his friends and family as “Chop.”

Chop’s is the realization of the dream of Charles “Chop” DeMeo, who saw teens as assets to the community, not as problems to be solved.

We think he would be proud that teens are saying, “I’ll see you at Chop’s.”