TOLEDO, Ohio — The biggest party of the year is almost here.
The 23rd annual Barefoot at the Beach is coming up on Aug. 10 and will end up helping around 4,000 local kids. The event is the largest fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo.
When people are getting their fill of delicious food from more than 30 of Toledo's favorite restaurants or dancing to music on the shores of Maumee Bay State Park, you're also changing the lives of kids in our area.
Kendra Rison is the director of the Homer Hanham Club, which is the largest of the eight current clubs in northwest Ohio. She hopes people will get a ticket and come to the event because of its lasting impact on the community beyond just a night of dancing.
"You can have a great time and we can have our kids have a great time throughout the year, so it's a win-win," Rison said.
Rison looks forward to Barefoot at the Beach every year, when local restaurants cook up their best dishes for everyone who attends.
"It's just great to see other restaurants and organizations come together to do the greater good for our youth and I really think it's great because we can see what the impact is doing here on the programming side," Rison said. "So I think it's a great party and it is doing a great service."
Money raised from ticket sales and drinks purchased that night goes directly to the Boys & Girls Clubs.
Jim Ravas, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs, said it's enough money to fund about 90% of the operation of one of the clubs for a whole year.
"And everybody just comes together," Ravas said. "And so we look at Barefoot as being that village, that says it takes a village and everybody wants to chip in and help out and we make a really terrific event."
You can see big changes happening at the Boys & Girls Clubs. The Homer Hanham Club is averaging 110 kids a day this summer, which is considered a high number for this time of year.
The Homer Hanham Club just reopened on June 3 after extensive renovations. There are bright colors on the walls to brighten the kids' time there, new bathrooms and lockers, and words of wisdom to motivate the kids.
One of the signs reads: "Good Character & Citizenship, Healthy Lifestyles and Academic Success."
There's a newly revamped swimming pool that's open every day, now with enough life jackets for every club member who wants to swim or take swim lessons.
"I'm really just grateful for the opportunity to be able to reach the youth in this light," Rison said. "It is definitely a safe place for the kids to come to, that actually want to come here and feel wanted here."
Ravas said they're now approaching 700 teens in total membership at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo, which he calls a huge number. He said that a study just completed by Ohio University revealed how far your Barefoot ticket or any time of year donation can really go.
"Our impact for every one dollar spent is $16 of benefit back to a child. But then when you look long term into community, it's one dollar spent to a $36 benefit to the community that you're in," Ravas said. "It impacts the ability for parents or caregivers to stay at work and to work."
The Boys & Girls Clubs will open their ninth club on "9/9" (Sept. 9) in Hiawatha Elementary at Washington Local Schools.
The Boys & Girls Clubs hope to raise at least $300,000 at Barefoot at the Beach. There will also be the band Intrigue, plus Life Celebrations DJ, and fireworks.
Barefoot at the Beach is Aug. 10, from 7-11:30 p.m. at Maumee Bay State Park. You can get your tickets now at barefootatthebeach.org.
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