Inaugural Boys and Girls Club banquet raises $27K

DAYTON — The new Rhea County Boys and Girls Club chapter raised nearly $27,000 at its inaugural fundraising banquet on Friday night.

During the event, club officials also announced that the newest chapter in the Boys and Girls Club of the Ocoee Region will set up shop in two currently vacant classrooms inside the Chattanooga State Community College building near the Rhea County Community Center, or RC3.

“It was a great banquet; everyone just had a wonderful time,” said Rhea County Boys and Girls Club Board Member Nicki Bentley Spurling, who along with board members Stacey Swafford and Carly McAuley, helped organize the event. “We can’t thank the sponsors and community members who came out to support the club enough. We had tremendous support from State Sen. Adam Lowe and from other clubs in the Ocoee Region. They really stepped up and made the event a night to remember.”

The event took place at the Rustic Farms Venue, located at 200 Hastings Drive in Dayton. Attendees enjoyed dinner catered by Oren Wooden’s and a night of fun and prizes in a ‘Price is Right’-style game night.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward the procurement of the facility, as well as operational costs and supplies for the new local chapter.

“The event went absolutely fantastic. We are so thankful for the support the community has poured out to get Rhea County’s first Boys and Girls Club up and running,” Rhea County Boys and Club Board of Directors President Dustin Henderson said. “Work has began immediately to be ready to open by the time school lets out for the summer.”

The new Rhea County Boys and Girls Club will have a presence at the upcoming 2024 Tennessee Strawberry Festival, and Henderson said that registration for the Boys and Girls Club will begin on Monday, May 6, at the Strawberry Festival’s Kids Night, where the Boys and Girls Club will be set up to accept registrations.

The Boys and Girls Club is a community outreach program that provides affordable after-school and out-of-school care and programs for kids ages 5 to 17.