Boys & Girls Club of Central Wyoming Rakes in $750K at Annual Fundraiser

On Saturday February 3rd, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming hosted their annual Reverse Raffle & Auction at the Ford Wyoming Center.

The preliminary total raised was $750,402 to support impactful programs for youth in Central Wyoming. This year’s theme was “Future Ready” with an emphasis on Career Works programming, which prepares youth in Central Wyoming to enter the workforce.

This year’s raffle included special guest appearances from University of Wyoming Football Head Coach Jay Sawvel and University of Wyoming Football Players Evan Svoboda, Harrison Waylee, Jordan Bertagnole, and Sabastian Harsh. Coach Sawvel gave the welcome address, and Jordan Bertagnole announced a special partnership between the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming and the Casper Midget Football League.

Tim Brown gave the keynote address for the event discussing what Boys & Girls Clubs did for him when he was a young man, and the important role that they serve in society. Brown is only one of 11 people to ever win the Heisman Trophy, and be inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Live music was provided by the Bengal Boys, a band that writes music about the Cincinnati Bengals. Along with the music, Dance Evolutions, a youth dance troupe, used the power of dance to hype up the crowd.

To cap off this amazing night, the winners of the brand new 2024 Toyota Tundra were Margo & Larry Bean and the winner of the $5,000 grand prize was Jared Petrino.

Ashley Bright, Boys & Girls Clubs CEO, said “I am very proud to live in a community that shows so much support for organizations like ours. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this momentous night! We are so blessed, so thankful, and so moved by everyone’s generosity.”

The Reverse Raffle & Auction is the Club’s largest fundraiser in support of the $5.2 million dollar annual operating budget. Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming spans 11 sites across Natrona, Converse, Fremont, and Johnson Counties. All proceeds support preparing youth to be Future Ready.