The Boys and Girls Clubs of Hudson County held its Annual Steak and Burger Dinner on Wednesday and raised over $10,000 to fund programs that reach out to over 2,000 of the county’s children annually. The $100-a-plate dinner covered the cost of one sponsor and one young club member to enjoy a buffet of dishes donated by local restaurants.
The event, which was held at the Hoboken Elk’s Club, brought together more than 60 kids and 50 donors to mingle. Each sponsor was paired up with one or two kids and they chatted about sports, school and how important the club is.
“I don’t know what I would do without it,” said 6-year-old Jalin Miles before getting ready to hit the buffet with sponsor and area resident Ken Stahl for dinner. “I go there all the time and always have so much fun.”
Eight-year-old Fernando Ortega also believes that the club is a positive place for kids to go. “The club has a lot of different things to do,” he said. “They help me with my homework and they help me get along with other kids.”
The club provides trips, computer education, instruction in the arts, sports activities and time for kids to be themselves in a safe and monitored environment. “The Boys and Girls Club is very important to the community,” said Gary M. Greenberg, executive director and Chief Operating Officer of the club Wednesday night. “It builds and develops character and educates them on the health, life and social skills that are need to become a positive member of a community.”
Greenberg said that the dinner is especially important because allows members of the community to see where their charity dollars are going. “The Steak and Burger Dinner is an important event for the Boys and Girls Club of Hudson County,” said Greenberg. “It raises funds for the important programs and services we provide to the youth in our community and it connects or kids to our benefactors on a personal level. They see firsthand the positive impact of their dollars have on our organization and our mission to provide opportunities for youth.”
The club is comprised of two neighborhood-based facilities in Hoboken and Jersey City. With the motto of “The Positive Place for Kids,” the clubs provides programs daily for children 6 to 18 years old and they are supervised by a full-time professional staff.
“Our programs work,” said the club’s director for Hudson County, Michael Walker. “The challenge is to get the word out and let everyone know that we have these fantastic programs right here in their community. There is no question about it, [children that are active in the Boys and Girls Club] do better in school and are more likely to say out of trouble.”
In its 1999 “Philanthropy 400” report, the Chronicle of Philanthropy ranked Boys and Girls Clubs of America as number eight among all nonprofit organizations and number one among youth organizations in the United States.
For more information about the programs and activities of the Boys and Girls Club of Hudson County, call 333-4100.
Steak out Annual charity dinner raises money for Boys and Girls Club
