Boys and Girls Club of Western Nevada members play dodgeball at the MAC earlier this year.
After 22 years, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada will host its 23rd annual Luau fundraiser on its own campus, with the all-you-can-eat dinner served in the adjacent Multi-use Athletic Center on Sunday, Sept. 11, from 2 to 7 p.m.
“We are excited to host this year’s annual Luau at the Club and MAC,” said Katie Leao, Chief Professional Officer for Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada. “This is the first time in 22 years that we will be able to not only tell our story, but show off our beautiful Club and brand new William N. Pennington Teen Center to Luau attendees. There is something powerful about seeing where our members spend their time, and the multiple uses of our facilities to provide a broad range of educational after school activities.”
The annual Luau event raises approximately $250,000-$270,000 each year, which accounts for roughly 15 percent of the Club’s annual budget. The remaining operational and program funding comes from grants, other fundraising efforts and donations.
“We’re hoping this year’s event will be our largest to date because it will be held at the Club,” said Leao.
The ability to use the MAC came after the Club secured $50,650 in grant funds from the Pennington Foundation and $10,000 in grant funds from the Carson City Visitors Bureau and Travel Nevada for 24,000 square feet of CarpetDeck protective modular tiles to cover the hardwood floor.
“The Club itself isn’t large enough to hold everyone during the dinner and Live Auction,” Leao said, “which is why we are so thankful for the grant funding for the protective flooring and our agreement with Carson City to use the MAC for the main part of our event.”
The protective flooring is made up of 1,174 carpet tiles that feature a multi-layer construction of carpet top and protective PVC backing. Each tile covers approximately 21 square feet and lock together, allowing for quick set up that can be handled by one or more people in multiple configurations. The expected life of each tile is 10-15 years with moderate use.
“When looking into flooring for the MAC, we wanted to choose something that would be a long-term solution while providing different options for event use,” Leao said. “The floor covering gives the City, Club and Carson City Visitors Bureau more options when it comes to using facility space wisely and opening the space up for other groups to use as well.”
Joel Dunn, executive director of the Carson City Visitors Bureau, said the Bureau recognized the importance of diversifying the utilization of the MAC as one of their top priorities for 2016 and applied for a $10,000 grant through Travel Nevada to help subsidize the flooring.
“The 2016 estimated economic impact of the facility is $156,000, with 6,500 visitors staying an average of two nights and spending an average of $120 per person per day,” Dunn said. “The addition of the flooring allows the community to have a 36,000 square foot facility for non-sport related events and programs while also providing an opportunity for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada to use the facility for their annual fundraiser. It’s a win-win.”
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada and the City of Carson City have a joint use agreement for the use of the MAC, which is adjacent to the Club. The Club has been able to expand its fitness and sports programming for members during the hours of 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, while utilizing two of the four courts. The remainder of the MAC is open for public use during the time the Club members are there. As part of the joint use agreement, the Club pays the city for a portion of the utilities and custodial services.
“Since January of this year, we have had just under 6,000 individual children attend the MAC for our sports and fitness programs,” Leao said. “Our youth and teens participate in basketball, wiffleball, soccer, capture the flag, flag football, kickball, relay races on the track and more,” Leao said. “We also incorporate fitness programs such as Crossfit each quarter at the MAC for kids to get the feel of fitness programming. We are proud to say that 85 percent of our Club’s members ages nine and older get at least one hour of physical activity on five or more days per week.”
To purchase tickets for the 23rd Annual Luau, visit www.luau.bgcwn.net, or call the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada at 775-882-8820. For more information about the Club and their programs, visit www.bgcwn.org.