Porta Palooza to raise funds for Boys & Girls Club
At tonight's event, 'you can help out a kid while acting like a kid'
This summer has been a hot one. At the Boys & Girls Club on Monroe Avenue, it’s been even hotter — their second-floor air-conditioning unit broke a few weeks ago.
“It’s really hot,” said the organization’s marketing director, Jaclyn Boruch. “We’re trying to raise some funds for our air-conditioning unit.”
But the local nonprofit isn’t going the route of the traditional 5K race or gift auction. Tonight, the Boys & Girls Club and Porta are collaborating on Porta Palooza to raise money for AC repairs in the club and for general summer camp expenses.
Porta Palooza is “kind of an adult field day,” Boruch said. “You can help out a kid while acting like a kid.”
Admission includes free beer, wine, soft drinks and pizza — and access to board games, WII video games, a few rounds of the bean bag toss game corn-hole and the restaurant’s famous Wednesday night tricycle racing.
Those playing the games will have the chance for prizes like a Flip camera, a New York Giants hat autographed by Justin Tuck, a Kindle and more.
Porta Palooza goes from 6 to 9 p.m. tonight in the Kingsley Avenue hot spot’s Abbot Room. Attendees can come in through the Second Avenue entrance. The event isn’t sold out yet. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at the door.
“It’s going to be a really, really fun event,” Boruch said. “We’re trying to break free of the traditional fundraisers that many nonprofits are known for having.”
The Boys & Girls Club’s summer camp runs for eight weeks and is about halfway finished now, Boruch said. Camp lasts up to 10 hours per day and children are provided with breakfast, lunch, a snack and “high-yield educational programming,” she said, and it’s one of the most affordable day camps in Monmouth County.