Boys and Girls Club hosts annual Steak ‘n’ Burger fundraiser Thursday
Published 3:52 pm Sunday, May 26, 2019
Star Photo/Amber Wadovick About a dozen paper lanterns rose into the evening sky Thursday as sponsors and other supporters gathered at the Tennessee College of Aplied Technology for the Boys and Girls Club's annual fundraiser.
Star Photo/Amber Wadovick Guest speaker Bob Kesling (right) mets with VIP sponsors at the beginning of the fundraiser event.In total, the fundraiser reached over $20,000.
Star Photo/Amber Wadovick Kesling soke with the childrne of the club, talking about his time with Cub Scouts and the pine wood derby race, where he learned to never give up and how to always do the best you can in everything.
Star Photo/Amber Wadovick Each table had one child from the club assist in letting the paper lanterns into the sky Thursday evening. Each lantern held written messages about dreams and aspiritions donors wished for the club's mmebers.
Dozens gathered at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology Thursday evening to show support for the Boys and Girls Club, helping the children there let their dreams fly like paper lanterns in the evening sky.
This support took shape in the club’s annual Steak ‘n’ Burger fundraiser event, where participants from across the county gathered to donate and raise support for the club’s operations.
Tracie Guy, a parent whose child attends the club, spoke about the club’s impact during the dinner.
“My oldest, he goes to the club,” Guy said. “He needs not only child care, but they offer him the stability of everyday functions. He needs the strict, day-to-day schedule.”
The event had a guest speaker, Bob Kesling, Voice of the Tennessee Volunteers, who met with VIP sponsors at the beginning of the event.
“Thanks for all you do for the kids, and thanks for being invested,” Kesling told those present.
Kesling spoke about his experiences growing up, and how as children grow, they need to be on the good teams as opposed to the bad teams.
“Everything we do involves teamwork,” he said. “You gotta be on a good team. […] We unfortunately have so many kids in this community that are bad teams, and it is not their fault.”
The team at Carter County’s Boys and Girls Club serves hundreds of children a year, providing educational and recreational resources for children in need.
Kesling also spoke to the children of the club directly before his speech to the donors, in which he told a story of his days in the Cub Scouts and the lessons he learned about hard work and never giving up.
“You gotta compete,” he said. “It does not matter whether you win or lose, but you need to compete and see how good you are.”
Towards the end of the dinner, donors wrote on slips of paper what dreams and aspirations they had for the children sitting at the table with them.
Donors then attached these messages onto paper lanterns, lighting them and releasing them into the sky, where they could take flight. The evening sky was filled with a dozen white paper lanterns, the little flames propelling them up shining in the dark blue sky.
At the end, the club announced it had raised roughly $20,000 during that night alone.
