The Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County’s biggest fundraising day of the year will coincide with the grand opening of the McKenzie Regional Workforce Center, the organization’s new headquarters and training facility on Verona Road in Madison, on Saturday, July 15.
The day will get underway with the Move4BGC 25-mile bike ride in the morning and culminate with the All White Party at the new facility from 6 to 11 pm. In between, the organization will celebrate the new facility with a ribbon cutting ceremony and tours.
Celebrity actors Taye Diggs, Larenz Tate and Christian Keyes will be on hand to welcome and linger with VIP guests at the All White Party. Additional entertainment will be provided by DJ Ree Maniac (also known as Central Heights Middle School Associate Principal Kyree Brooks), Madison band Kinfolk and the Chicago-based band Funktastic.
BGCDC CEO Michael Johnson said the organization’s goal is to raise $700,000 between the various events of the day, all of which will go to support programming like AVID/TOPS, preschool and after school programs.
He also said the organization still needs to raise another $4 million to finish paying off the purchase and renovations of the McKenzie Regional Workforce Center, and is also accepting donations for that purpose.
Johnson also said hosting the event at the BGCDC’s own facility, which includes indoor and outdoor rooftop event space, will be “amazing.”
“The fact that we can host 1,500 people at this event and we own tables, we own the chairs. We get to decide what time we want to start it and end it … it’s pretty amazing,” he said. “And definitely over the years it’s going to save us a lot of money because we won’t have to go to use a lot of hotels for different events anymore because we have our own space and yeah, and this space is gorgeous, with the outdoor patio that we own. It’s going to be a huge asset, I believe, to the community.”
Tickets for the All White Party are on sale now for $75, or $100 for VIP tickets, at the BGCDC website, and additional donations are welcome.
