The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana joined the Art Van Charity Challenge on Crowdrise back on May 1st. This marked the third year for the Club’s participation in the Challenge – a three-week initiative where individuals and corporations were encouraged to give back to their communities through online donations. After taking second place in the Challenge last year, the Clubs and all their supporters were even more motivated to win the grand prize of $100,000 in 2018 despite competing against numerous other Midwest nonprofits.
Several Boys & Girls Clubs staff, board members, and constituents came together on Tuesday for a special viewing party at Lakeside Wealth Management in Chesterton. As everyone eagerly waited for the winner to be announced, Jeff Strack of Strack & Van Til shared, “I joined the board when I first got out of college back in the 90’s and I’ve had a special relationship with [the Clubs] ever since. Supporting kids and youth in our communities is something that is important to not only myself, but to Strack & Van Til as well.”
Buffy Adams, Director of Development and Marketing for the Boys & Girls Clubs said, “This has been amazing! Tim Rice [of Lakeside Wealth Management] and Jeff Leetz from Indiana Beverage are the ones who cracked the code on how to make this magic happen and how to get everybody involved.” She continued, “Just to see the overwhelming support of our board, donors and community throughout the challenge has been very special.”
As the clock ticked down to 1pm, those in attendance grabbed their noisemakers and confetti poppers to get ready for the big announcement. The countdown began 10, 9, 8, 7…. Then the big news! The Boys & Girls Clubs raised an astounding $386,599 during the Challenge landing them in first place and adding $100,000 in grant prize money from Art Van to that total!
Ryan Smiley, CEO for the Clubs, addressed the room after the big win stating, “I think this is a testament to the staff and our commitment to provide programs and services for the community.” He continued, “This is a testament to the merger and the scale of what we now have and are capable of here in Northwest Indiana. It also shows the commitment of the board with the turnout that we’ve had today and with their involvement and willingness to reach out to their peers for this cause. It’s really been a fun, rewarding challenge that’s going to benefit our kids tremendously.”
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 63 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 $35.00. For information on membership, volunteer opportunities, or to make a tax-deductible donation, please contact your local Club by calling (219) 464-7282 or visiting bgcgreaternwi.org. Great Futures Start HERE.
