With just a week to go before the second annual Steak ‘n’ Burger event at the Boys & Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County there are still some tickets and sponsorship opportunities available according to Club officials.

The event is scheduled to take place on Thursday, Aug. 24, at 6:30 p.m. at the Club. This year the Club hopes to raise $40,000 with the event. As the organization’s largest annual fundraiser, the success of this event is crucial to the Club’s ability to provide for the growing number of youth in need of its programs.

“We have had a lot of growth over the last year as far as sponsorships and ticket purchases, but we are still in need of more support if we are going to reach our goal,” said Elizabeth Williams, Resource Development and Marketing Director for the Boys & Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County.

Tickets are still available for the event at the cost of $50, and the Club requests that tickets be purchased in advance to allow them to ensure enough food is prepared for the event.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available as well according to Williams.

“We have one Impact Sponsorship still available and some table sponsorships,” Williams said.

Impact Sponsorship can be purchased for $1,000. “They receive greater marketing benefits as well as they get a table for eight attendees,” Williams said.

Table sponsorships cost $500 and grant the sponsor a table with eight attendees.

The Steak ‘n’ Burger event gets its name from the fact that attendees get the chance to enjoy burgers while dining alongside Club members, who enjoy a special steak dinner. The idea behind this special setup is to focus the event on the kids that the Club and the fundraiser provide for. In addition to sitting at the tables with attendees, the Club members will also serve as emcees, tour guides, and greeters for the event.

For Club members, participating in the event means they get to interact with community leaders, practice their table manners, and, for some, even speak on stage. While Steak ‘n’ Burgers are not new to Boys & Girls Clubs nationally, the event was introduced in Elizabethton in 2016. The inaugural event saw wide success, bringing in around $38,000 for Club programs.

Williams said she is excited for this year’s event, which she said features “a great lineup” of speakers and guests.

“Josh Smith from WJHL, who is an Elizabethton native, will emcee the event along with Club member Noah,” Williams said.

A Club parent will speak to the group about the impact the Club has had on her family as well, according to Williams.

The special guest speaker for the event will be John Currie, the newly-named Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Those wishing to purchase tickets or sponsorships can do so in two ways, Williams said. Tickets and sponsorships can be purchased online through the Club’s website at www.bgcecc.org/steaknburger or by calling the Club at 423-543-2946 and speaking with either Williams or Club Executive Director Ginny Wright.