Indiana Beverage’s recent donation to Boys & Girls Clubs marks the tenth consecutive year the two have partnered to help region kids avoid peer pressure and risky behaviors. The $4,161 donation, which comes from the proceeds of merchandise sales at Valparaiso’s Brewfest, supports the youth organization’s healthy lifestyles programming, Boys & Girls Clubs president and CEO Ryan Smiley said.
“We are extremely grateful for ten years of support from this event,” Smiley said. “Kids are facing all kinds of challenges, whether through social media or from their peers. It’s important that we have partners like Indiana Beverage who support the work our Clubs are doing to empower Club members to make positive decisions.”
The decision to donate to Boys & Girls Clubs is deeply personal for Indiana Beverage’s marketing coordinator and sales administrator Kelly Campbell, who works the Brewfest booth each year with coworkers Debby McNeil, Christine Makowiecki and Jaimie Wible. Campbell described Club as a “lifesaver” after her mom passed away when Campbell was only three years old.
“Although my dad did the best he could, he worked full-time. He knew Club was a safe place for us to be able to play and hang out with our friends. I spent countless hours in the Arts & Crafts room making ceramics,” Campbell said. “I made a sign with my name on it in the Wood Shop, and I still have it. Torch Club and Keystone Club taught me so much about team-building. I dread the path I might have taken if it weren’t for the Club.”
Campbell went on to volunteer at Club and her first job was working for Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County’s executive director Chuck Leer. When she married her husband and became a stepmom to three young daughters, the family enrolled the girls in Club’s before- and after-school Kidstop program.
“Kidstop is the easiest, safest, most beneficial program for any working parent,” Campbell said.
Like Campbell, McNeil grew up attending Club. One of six kids growing up in Valpo, McNeil spent her time at Club learning arts and crafts and playing sports. When she had her own children, she signed them up to attend Club.
“They loved absolutely everything about it,” McNeil said. “Guitar lessons. The teen room. All the friendships they made. It was a great, safe place they could go to while I was at work. And the tutoring helped them do well in school.”
Whether through donating and volunteering, Campbell and McNeil continue to find ways to stay involved with the organization that meant so much to them as children.
“Boys & Girls Club is a very important part of my life, and I really cannot say enough great things about it,” Campbell said. “It’s a place for kids to be themselves, learn, play and grow. I hope that all the kids who need it find their way there.”
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana:
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana has been opening doors to GREAT FUTURES for Porter and Lake County youth for over 60 years. Clubs are open after school and provide great places for youth in grades K-12 to meet friends and have fun while in a safe, supervised environment. Clubs are open during holidays and in the summer. Annual membership is only $40.00. For information on membership, volunteer opportunities, or to make a tax-deductible donation, please contact your local Club by calling (219) 764-2582 or visiting bgcgreaternwi.org. Great Futures Start HERE.
