Boys and Girls Club “An Evening of Stars” Gala and Auction Raises $60,000

USA (SANEPR.com) March 24, 2009 --
350 people attended the event which was held at a new venue this year. Despite the economy, guests contributed heavily realizing the Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield is a great short and long term investment.

“We took a risk and broke tradition by replacing the venue and changing the date by six months and it was a great success! Our attendance was up by 25 percent; we raised more money than in previous years and our attendees were uniformly happy,” explained Dan Burke, President of the Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors.

He continued, “Everyone did an amazing job. The Boys and Girls Club gala and auction is all about great people supporting a great cause and doing it with all their heart and soul.”

A number of folks were honored during the evening for their dedication to and support of the Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield including: State Representative Frank Hynes and his wife Heather; Ed Perry, owner of WATD-FM radio station in Marshfield and Molly Newcomb of Marshfield (who was the recipient of the Roche Family Outstanding Young Adult of the Year Award).

Marshfield native Jonathan Hall, the Emmy award winning journalist and investigative reporter for WHDH Channel 7 News Boston was the Master of Ceremonies for the evening and caricatures were provided by Building 19’s Mat Brown and talented graphic designer Sue Petersen.

Event attendees enjoyed their five minutes of fame as they were “interviewed” by “Joan Rivers” and the “Blues Brothers” entertained the crowd after a live auction led by Paul Vercollone. Bruins tickets and a Mexican vacation were two “big ticket” items auctioned off at a total of $10,000.

The Friends of the Marshfield Airport, ACT Smart Inc., Sovereign Bank, Roche Bros., William Last & William Chase Builders, BuytheCase.net, Rockland Federal Credit Union, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and Tufts Health Plan sponsored the event.

According to Greg Jackson, Executive Director of the club, “Nearly $60,000 was raised, which, in this current economy, and for a club our size is a tremendous accomplishment. We made lots of new friends who are interested in our mission and our future and seeing our club not only survive but also grow.”

He continued, “The auction items were a hit and we’d like to thank the 315 auction donors for their generous donations and our corporate sponsors for their support in making this event such an overwhelming success. The money raised will enable us to continue to offer great programs to our members. I’d also like to recognize and thank our Board of Directors and Event Committee members for their commitment and dedication. We couldn’t pull off an event like this without their help.”

About the Boys and Girls Club
The Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield’s purpose is to establish a safe haven for recreation and fun, which includes a variety of supervised activities for the 1,100 current members and is available to youth (between the ages of 6 to 18 years old) within the town and surrounding communities. The Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield has five Core Areas: Character and Leadership; Education and Career; Health, Sport Fitness Recreation and Life Skills; The Arts; and Technology. These Core Areas serve as the foundation for all programming.

As a privately-funded, non-profit organization, the Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield relies tremendously on the generous philanthropic support of individuals.  Financial gifts assist in providing the financial strength necessary to continue the club’s mission “to enable and inspire all young people to realize their full potential as productive and responsible citizens, as well as become tomorrow’s capable leaders.”

For more information about the Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield, please contact (781) 834-CLUB (2582) or visit the club in Library Plaza or the website at MarshfieldBoysAndGirlsClub.com. The club’s mailing address is P.O. Box 311, Marshfield, MA 02050.