Organizers hope to bring in $10,000 or more in pledges and donations during a phone-a-thon on the final weekend of Campaign for Kids, which benefits both units of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the North Olympic Peninsula.
Volunteers will answer phones, and make a few calls, between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Those who want to donate or pledge a check can phone 360-683-8095.
The fundraiser will benefit both the Mount Angeles unit at 2620 S. Francis St. in Port Angeles, and the Sequim unit at 400 W. Fir St.
“This is the cap on our Campaign for Kids,” the clubs’ annual fundraiser, which began this year with the Spring Fling on April 1, said Stephen Rosales, special events coordinator.
“Our goal was $70,000,” he said. “We’re now at $60,000.”
Organizers hope to make up the difference, or go over the top, through the phone-a-thon, a new fundraising tool for the group.
“This is something we’ve never tried before,” Rosales said.
Shifts of about 10 volunteers will man the phones in three-hour shifts.
They will accept donations by credit card or pledges, which will be followed up later with a letter.
Volunteers also will phone people who have donated to the clubs in the past.
And parents of children who use the facilities also will phone other parents and encourage them to give, Rosales said.
“We will not be going through the phone book calling people,” he said.
Calls to the clubs’ phone number actually will go to the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Center, where volunteers will answer the phones, Rosales said.
The total expense budget for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the North Olympic Peninsula for 2010 is $963,480, said Stacy Ceder, resource development director.
The clubs charge children who participate in after-school activities and summer events $30 annually, Rosales said.
Daily attendance in Port Angeles during the school year is from 40 to 70 children, Rosales said. Summer attendnace at that club is between 30 to 50, he added.
The Sequim Club can see as many as 350 children daily during the school year, Rosales said. Summer attendance can be 120, he said.
The biggest fundraiser of the year will be an auction on Nov. 13. The theme this year will be Rumble in the Jungle, Rosales said.
For more information about Sequim club, phone 360-683-8095.
For information about the Port Angeles club, phone 360-417-2831.
More details about both clubs are available online at www.PositivePlaceforKids.net.
