SEQUIM — A record $320,000 was raised during the 27th annual Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula auction and dinner held in Sequim, said Janet Gray, resource development director.
This year’s theme was “Mission Possible.”
The Nov. 14 dinner was attended by about 370 community members, she said.
“We are feeling really great about the record year,” Gray said.
Last year, the event raised about $300,000, she said.
The proceeds from the event benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs members at both the Carroll C. Kendall unit in Sequim and the Mount Angeles unit in Port Angeles.
Combined, the clubs serve more than 350 children per day with a variety of programs.
“The auction and dinner is our largest fundraiser of the year,” Gray said.
“Our budget heavily relies on the success of that fundraiser, our Campaign for Kids and our golf tournament,” which are held annually, she said.
“The auction and dinner usually is budgeted at about 20 percent of our income budget. Should those funds not be raised, we would have to be making some adjustments to our operations.”
Gray said that has never been a problem because the club is “able to rely on our donors to come through for us” each year.
Community helps out
“Our community really understands how much the youth need our organization and how they need a positive place, and need mentoring and academic support,” she said.
Underprivileged children who attend the club especially need “the extra resources the club can provide, and fortunately our donors . . . really step up to make a difference,” she said.
The bulk of the money raised came through the silent and live auctions of more than 200 items, and the Bid for Kids event where attendees raise their paddles to donate funds at specified levels, Gray said.
The auctions raised between $60,000 and $70,000, while the Bids for Kids raised $160,000, “which was [another] record for us,” she said.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.