The Center's fundraising total at $26,000 and still rising
By Jennifer Zartman Romano
A little over a week after the wildly successful The Center Cookoff, a fundraiser held April 10 for the local non-profit teen facility in downtown Columbia City continues to receive donations.
The Center’s director, Jeff Wike said donations have continued to pour into the facility since the event. “It’s still coming in,” Wike said. “We’ve received one or two (donations) in the mail or dropped off every day since then.”
“In hand, that night, we raised just shy of $14,000 not including the $10,000 match that was pledged before the event,” Wike said, bringing the end of evening total to $24,000. Wike said an anonymous donor, a local individual, offered the $10,000 match.
“Right now, we’re just under $26,000,” Wike said of the current fundraising total from the event.
“To be honest, we had a goal of $25,000,” he said, “but I tried not to hold my breath.”
“Awareness was our primary motivation in doing this,” Wike said, hoping local residents would, as a result of the dinner, learn more about the facility and how it is keeping local young people on a positive path for lifelong success. Of fundraising and raising awareness, Wike was pleased that both were accomplished successfully as a result of The Center Cookoff.
Considering the success of the event and the community’s enthusiasm for it, Wike believes the event will continue next year.
“I think it was pretty much decided the night of the cookoff that we’ll do it next year,” Wike said.
The $26,000 is expected to be used in The Center’s overall budget, but Wike expects it might also be used to fund some specific projects in the future as well.
Donations are still being accepted for The Center and may be sent to: The Center, 201 West Market Street, Columbia City, IN 46725.
To learn more about The Center, visit The Center's Website by clicking here.