2019 Annual Report

GREAT FUTURES GALA:
A SLAM DUNK!
The 2019 Great Futures Gala provided Club
staff with some great insights through participant
feedback. As expected, the favorite
part for most guests is the interaction with
Club kids and teens through the games. What
attendees may not know is that the counter to that
is true as well. Club members really enjoy working
with the public.
As Lane, one of our Concrete members who also
spoke during the auction said, “I really enjoyed the
opportunity to meet the millionaires and billionaires
who fund the Boys & Girls Club. It was a little overwhelming
because more people were in that building
than live in my town, but they were nice and
it was fun to help them with the games.” This was
his answer to a question posed by Congresswoman
Suzan Delbene who recently visited the Concrete
Club, about the different opportunities the Club provides
to members. It also opened up a dialogue as to
the make-up of Club Donors. The organization isn’t
aware of any billionaires. There may be a couple or a
few millionaires, but most Club donors are not. They
simply believe in the mission of the Club, and make
that special investment to support kids just like Lane
having opportunities that can be life-changing.
Other feedback that has been helpful in better
shaping the success of the event is understanding
that attending guests enjoy the Live Auction energy
because of the limited number of items, a smaller
Silent Auction, and more of a focus on true philanthropy.
The pre-registration for Express Checkout
increased in popularity in its second year, as those
attending simply walked in, picked up their packet,
and continued into the fun and fellowship the Great
Futures Gala Social Hour provides.
The biggest slam dunk of the night, all puns intended,
was the engagement by Club alum Anthony “Spud”
Webb. Staff had a feeling the experience might be
a little different that night based on his visit to the
Sedro-Woolley Boys & Girls Club earlier that day.
The Club teens assembled were excited to meet the
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