SEQUIM — The results are in for what organizers are calling the most successful fundraiser ever for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula.
A record amount of about $300,000 was raised at the 26th annual “City of Dreams” auction and dinner last Saturday in Sequim, said Janet Gray, resources development director, who is still adding up proceeds and bills.
“We had a fantastic year. Our target was $200,000,” Gray said.
The 2013 total was about $222,000.
The final cost of this year’s event was about $40,000 — about 13 percent of the money raised — leaving the organization with about $260,000 to invest in programs that directly affect the children who club members, Gray said.
The auction is the largest annual fundraiser for the clubs, which serve about 650 children in Sequim and 130 in Port Angeles.
The event sold out all of the 350 available tickets in advance, Gray said.
“It began with dessert, when the Sweet Dreams Dessert Frenzy raised $5,500 for 14 gorgeous desserts,” she said.
“People were excited to be at the event and to contribute to the cause.”
She said the live auction — which offered 26 trips, dinners and certificates — raised $42,500.
Gray said the most exciting part of the night was the Bid for Kids, which raised $155,000 in “donations from the heart.”
Finally, the silent auction raised $23,500 for 184 donated items, she said.
The remainder of the funds came from ticket sales and individual donations.
Annual budget
Donations and fundraising cover about 57 percent of the club’s $950,000 annual budget.
The club’s other major fundraising events are the annual golf tournament and “FUNdraiser” in May, and the Campaign for Kids in June.
Gray said the golf tournament raises about $33,000 annually, and Campaign for Kids raises about $100,000 annually.
The club also receives about $100,000 a year in grants and private donors’ contributions through the year, Gray said.
Membership fees — $30 per child per year — raise less than $20,000 per year.
Gray said the membership fee is primarily symbolic so the children “have some skin in the game. They have ownership.”
An affordable annual membership fee and fundraising allow low-income children a safe place to go, she said.
The Sequim unit is at 400 W. Fir St. The phone number is 360-683-8095.
The Port Angeles unit is at 2620 S. Francis St. The phone number is 360-417-2831.
For more information on the clubs, visit www.positiveplaceforkids.net.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
