Boys and Girls Club Ready For Big Fundraising Weekend At WeFest

Photo courtesy of the Boys and Girls Club of Detroit Lakes

Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM) – For nearly a decade, the Boys and Girls Club of Detroit Lakes and Perham have been volunteering in the WeFest VIP food and beverage areas, serving thousands of festival-goes while raising money for the clubs and their various programs.

“We’ve got about 300 volunteers, which is the most we’ve had in the seven or eight years we’ve been doing this,” said BGCDL executive director Pat Peterman. “We always pick up a few at the last minute, but we could always use 20 to 30 more,”

The Boys and Girls Club of Detroit Lakes volunteers work in the VIP area helping the caterers serve food and beverages. In addition to helping out the clubs, perks include a complimentary WeFest pass based on hours volunteered.

“We’re doing things like making sure the lines are moving, wiping and bussing tables, cleaning up, that kind of thing,” says Peterman.

WeFest pays organizations for helping at the event based on volunteer hours. Last year, the BGCDL put in nearly 1,400 hours worked.

“You do the math and that’s about $14,000,” said Peterman. “Then you add in $12,000 in tips that all go to the club. Then the camper raffle, and we usually move 1,000 tickets at $20 per ticket…and we’ve already sold 700 of those leading up to WeFest. If we move 2,000 tickets that’s another $40,000 dollars.”

To break down those numbers even more: a three-hour WeFest shift pays for 30 healthy snacks for club attendees. A six-hour shift purchases gym equipment, and working the 3-day weekend shift covers the cost of a yearly membership for two club members.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Detroit Lakes & Perham serve over 850 children from Becker and Otter Tail Counties in Minnesota. Our Clubs provide structured after-school and summer programming for children between 5 and 18 years of age. School year programming is offered between September and May, and summer programming is offered between June and August.

To sign up to volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club this weekend, you can sign on up on the BGCDL website.