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Great Futures Gala supports Oak Orchard Boys & Girls Club Feb. 6

January 19, 2020

The Great Futures Fund has announced that ticket sales are open for this year’s Great Futures Gala to support the Oak Orchard Boys & Girls Club. The event, to be held Thursday, Feb. 6, at The Peninsula on the Indian River Bay, will be a fun, inspirational evening featuring dueling pianos, special guest speakers, delicious food and drink, as well as unique décor by Styled.

“Through the incredible generosity of our local community members, we were able to raise over $75,000 for the Oak Orchard club last year,” said Leanne Silicato Prosser, event chair. “The money was spent on essential building improvements to the existing space, which included a new multipurpose room, new flooring, parking lot improvements, as well as summer camp scholarships for children.”

This year, all funds raised will go toward a building renovation to create more classroom space for the existing K-8 program. The committee has also organized a capital campaign to fund construction of a full-size gymnasium and multipurpose classrooms in order to start a much-needed teen program.

“This is probably our most important goal at this point,” said Kathleen Schell, one of the committee chairs. “We need to provide the funding and vision for this program and building to become a reality for these kids. We are incredibly grateful for the community’s support to help develop this vision into reality.”  

The Oak Orchard Boys & Girls Club currently provides daily services for over 100 children in its facility on Oak Orchard Road in Millsboro. “We run before- and after-school programs, a preschool, and a summer camp program here,” said Director Erica Kennedy. “The current programs are running on all cylinders; however, we currently have over a two-page waiting list of youth in grades K-8 who would like to attend our club, and we simply don’t have the space.”  

Returning sponsors for this year’s event include Mountaire Farms, The Tunnell Companies, Schell Family Foundation, Silicato Development, Schell Brothers, Styled, Village Salon and Spa, The Meoli Companies, Short’s Marine, Glenmede, Beebe Healthcare, Chad and Elyse Moore, Lucille and Scott Cavan, Ocean Atlantic Sotheby’s, The Peninsula, Long Neck Rotary, Harry Caswell, and Bayhealth.

“We are so excited about this year’s event and thrilled with the generosity of our community,” said Nicole Silicato Miller, event co-chair. “Our vision is to provide a safe place for all children in the Oak Orchard area to be able to play and learn after school and during the summer months. The funds raised from this gala go a long way to making that possible.” 

Sponsorship opportunies and tickets are available at greatfuturesgalade.com; for more information, email info@greatfuturesgalade.com or call 302-945-3350.

To learn more about the Oak Orchard Boys & Girls Club, call 302-945-2244. To donate to the facility expansion fund, go to www.greatfuturesgalade.com.

 

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