Boys & Girls Clubs to celebrate 70th anniversary with ‘cruise’

With all the amenities, organizers for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County hope attendees at the 70th anniversary celebration feel like they’re cruising off to an island vacation.

Without ever actually leaving land, that is.

“We’re calling it ‘a shore thing,’” said Drue Duerschmidt, the marketing and communications manager.

Since this year was a special occasion, organizers decided to turn an annual fundraiser into a cruise. At the IMG Academy Golf Club on El Conquistador Parkway, views overlooking the water may just trick some attendees into thinking they’ve actually set sail.

“It was really a concept of one of our board members as a way to make things fun, entertaining and encourage younger people to also get involved,” Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County president Dawn Stanhope said. “Our committee ran with the idea and it’s really shaped up to be a great night.”

In addition to a board member attending a similar event, taking cruises to celebrate anniversaries has grown in popularity, said Francine Diemer, the development director. Live entertainment, a silent auction, a “ship store” and other events will highlight the evening, in which attendees are encouraged to “put on their cruise wear.”

“We thought it could be a little more casual than your typical black tie event,” Diemer said. “We probably went a little wild with the theme, but we also wanted to have a lot of activities going on.”

Organizers threw in another new twist this year, in an effort to attract millennials — and those watching their budgets — to learn more about the organization and get involved. A two-tiered ticketing system offers a higher ticket price, $125, for those who want to come early, join the cocktail hour, have a plated dinner and stay through the evening. A $70 ticket allows attendees into the evening portion, after the cocktail hour and seated dinner.

“We’re giving it a try to see what happens,” Diemer said.

Sometime in February 1946, nobody seems to remember the exact date, doors first opened at a clubhouse on Ninth Street West in Bradenton, through the help of the Bradenton Kiwanis Club. Since then, the organization has had a presence in Manatee County ever since.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit bgcmanatee.org/tickets/70th-anniversary-celebration/

This story was originally published October 4, 2016 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Boys & Girls Clubs to celebrate 70th anniversary with ‘cruise’."