- At Smart Girls, we learn the qualities of being girls. There's only girls there, and it's really fun.
- We're kind of like a family. The conversations we have, like the period talk, sex talk, hygiene, boys,
- it's kind of easier because I'm talking with people that can relate to me. Not that my mom can't, but
- they're my age and they know what I'm going through at this point. I like when I was invited to the
- Smart Girls' luncheon for the first time.
- happens at the luncheon that I really like is where we get to talk to the ladies and they ask us questions
- and they want to know things about us. It seems like they really care about us. Smart Girls taught me
- how to be myself and have fun. When I was like in school I got bullied and
- It took to the point where I went suicidal and stuff like that and I couldn't talk to my parents about
- it. And so our staff, Ms. Jackie, she tells us stuff about her past.
- how she was abused and everything. It helps me to know that I'm not alone and that if I needed a person
- to go to, I can go to her and talk to her about it. Smart Girls helped me process my anger right. It
- shows me how you can be a different person if you change your attitude and do it the right way.
- You are you, and what you do makes you. So you can't try to be someone else while you're trying to be
- you. And that's what Smart Girls has taught me. Before Smart Girls, we
- My friendships were crazy. I couldn't trust anybody, and I really didn't tell them a lot of stuff. But
- then after Smart Girls, I got to know them better, and now we have a bond that nobody can break.
- Good evening, everyone, and welcome to Smart Girls, Strong Women. We are so happy you are here with
- us tonight at the Stephen Conney Ferguson Cresmont Club celebrating this wonderful evening where we're
- going to recognize women and girls and raise a lot of money for the programs at the Boys and Girls Club.
- So thank you for being here. Feel free to make your way back through the food lines and the wine and
- ice cream. That's totally fine. We're going to get through some logistics and some sponsor thank yous,
- and then we'll get started with our show. For those of you that don't know me or I didn't get to say hi
- My name is Leslie Absher. I'm the CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington. Thank you. So I've
- been in this job a little over a year, but I have been with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington
- for 12 years this month. I'm celebrating my 12-year anniversary with the Bloomington Clubs,
- which is awesome. And I remember envisioning this night. I remember when we created this event and thinking
- about how we could get
- people in this community to support women and girls and come together to listen to stories about how
- successful girls have been in our community and listen to stories about female empowerment and listen
- to stories about what it is that we can do when we come together as a collective community. And tonight
- you are part of that.
- movement and part of that mission. And so thank you for being here. I know it is a busy time of year.
- It's the end of year. School's wrapping up and IU is ending, but we are glad you are spending the evening
- with us tonight to attend, to participate, and to give this wonderful event celebrating our girls. Some
- of those girls you may have noticed on your tables made paper dolls. So in the centerpieces, you see
- the paper dolls that our kids at the club made. Kids like Justice at the Lincoln Street Club. Her doll
- has no face.
- And we asked her why she made a doll with no face. And she said, well, sometimes I feel happy. And sometimes
- I feel sad. And all of those things are OK. And I love that. We taught her that in Smart Girls,
- she told us, that she learned that all of those emotions are fine. And so she didn't want to put a face
- on her doll because she doesn't always feel the same way all the time. And that's a really powerful
- thing coming from a nine-year-old.
- to believe that she can feel however she feels and it still represents who she is. She gets to be sad
- and happy and angry and joyful and silly. And that's all part of what makes her her. And so that's what
- we're doing tonight is we're reminded of what those kids need when they're seven, eight, and nine years
- old. What we got when we were seven, eight, and nine years old. And that's really what we're celebrating
- tonight. Empowering young women in our community is the work of all of us.
- Modeling the way for young people is the collective burden of a high-functioning society. We need people
- to replace me someday. We need people to replace you someday, right? We have to continue to grow this
- great community, and the way that we do that is by investing in our kids. And I believe that you are
- all here tonight because you believe that too. You believe in the power of that investment. Yeah, we do.
- When a community works together to support the most vulnerable among us, our children, we build a strong
- foundation for our collective community future. We build strong leaders. We build leaders that are confident,
- that are smart, that are generous, and that are determined to take us where we need to go. Young women
- who will guide us through the challenging times ahead.
- who will ensure that this community continues to be a place where everyone is welcome. A place that
- ensures opportunities for all young people and continues to fight for the citizens that need us most.
- We want everyone to do well because then we all do well. And it's our job to invest in those kids and
- give them every opportunity that they deserve. Far too many young women in our society lack this kind
- of support. They lack nurturing
- They lack adults in their lives that believe in them and speak life and truth into them, and that is
- not acceptable. We are here tonight together to take a stand and make sure that we reach every young
- girl who needs us most. The club is currently serving our highest number of kids ever. We've been around
- for 70 years, and we are serving more kids today than ever before. Yeah, that's great. I love it.
- We have as many as 723 kids in our building each and every day. There's about 200 of us in this room.
- So think about 723 kids across this community are being served at a Boys and Girls Club each and every
- day, and about half of those are girls.
- The Boys and Girls Club provides a safe place for all of those kids in our community. And even though
- we're creeping closer and closer to capacity, especially at our Ellitsville Club, we have space. We
- have room for about 100 more kids a day to be in our buildings. And so we're excited to continue to
- spread the word about what the Boys and Girls Club provides. And tonight, that is part of what we're
- doing, too. We're teaching you about what it is that we're doing so you can go tell everybody about
- the great work of the Boys and Girls Club. Everything else in our world is getting more expensive.
- Yes, and if you spent money today on coffee or lunch or gas, you know this, but the Boys and Girls Club
- is just $20 a year. It's been $20 a year for as long as I know, and it remains $20 a year per child.
- It is our mission to stay accessible for all youth, to give all young people an opportunity to receive
- robotics and tutoring and mentoring and all kinds of programs that equip them for their lives, and it's
- only 20 bucks a year. And the only way we can do that is all of you.
- community support. The true cost of what we do is about $750 to serve a kid throughout the course of
- the year. And the difference between the $750 and the $20 we charge to families is made up by donations.
- And it's not made up by a bunch of large donations from all over the country. It's made up by people here.
- in this community that say, yeah, I can do a little bit. I have something that I can give. I can contribute
- to this community. And I believe in investing in kids. And that's how we get it done. And that's how
- we're going to get it done tonight, too. It's very exciting. So this marks our 70th year in Bloomington.
- And so seven decades, this community has said yes to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington. So thank
- you so much for that. Yeah. So by being here tonight, you are part
- of that legacy. The legacy that we've had for 70 years in this community and the legacy that we hope
- to have for generations to come. So thank you again for being here. It's going to be a wonderful night.
- A few logistics before we get started. I want to thank our sponsors for the evening and also I want
- to show you
- You all got a bid card when you came in, and there was a little blue ticket attached to it. That is
- your raffle ticket. You must be here to win, but don't lose your raffle ticket. Don't leave early. That'll
- be the last thing we do. We will have a signed IU football from our very own Khalil Benson. Latonya,
- wave at us. That's Khalil's mom right there.
- She is our unit director of this building right here, Ms. Latonya, and we're so glad to have Khalil's
- signature on our IU football that we're going to give away. We've assigned IU men's basketball from
- our coach DeVries. We have a signed book, More Than a Doll, by our keynote speaker tonight. And we have
- an Oliver winery gift basket. So make sure you keep that raffle card and make sure you can be ready
- for it when the time comes at the end of the evening.
- At this time, I will start recognizing groups. So if you are a board member or a board ambassador at
- the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington, I'm gonna ask you to stand up. You can do it. Stand up and
- stay standing. Let's give these people a round of applause. Stay standing, folks. All right, stay up, stay up.
- If you have ever been a board member, please stand up. If you have ever been on the auxiliary, either
- a current or past member of the Ladies Auxiliary, go ahead and stand and be recognized at this time.
- All right, you can go ahead and sit down.
- These people lead our organization. We can't do this for 70 years and have all of these wonderful programs
- for kids, serve 700 kids a day without strong leadership. These individuals serve, they roll up their
- sleeves, they donate money, they go out and ask for money, they work in programs, they bring food to
- kids, they do all kinds of things that help the Boys and Girls Club
- grow. And so thank you to all of you who have been leaders in our organization, past and present board
- members and auxiliary members. We see you. We appreciate you. Thank you so much. We also want to thank
- those of us that helped get us fed tonight. So we want to thank Texas Roadhouse and Finney Hospitality
- Group for providing our dinner tonight.
- All of our friends in the back, Brewster's Ice Cream, Oliver Winery, Crazy Horse, and Verona Coffee,
- give it up for them as well. All of that is donated so that every dollar we raise tonight goes directly
- to kids' programs and it doesn't go to putting on this event, so that's a huge gift from all of them.
- We also wanna thank Go Express Travel for providing the shuttle and Try North for letting us park in
- their parking lot, so a huge round of applause for them, we appreciate that.
- We want to say thank you to the Bloomington Fire Department. They come and help us set up tables and
- chairs and tear them down at every one of our events. They do that for us. Bloomington High School South
- Honor Society was here tonight helping Lambda Sigma Epsilon Latino fraternity and other individuals
- for volunteering this evening. Give our volunteers a round of applause for me, please.
- We also want to thank Nature's Way for the plants on this stage and Three Blondes Floral Co. for all
- the flowers. It's almost Mother's Day in graduation, so keep Three Blondes and Nature's Way in mind.
- Thank you for making the room look so pretty. We appreciate that. And again, just thank you for everyone
- who donated tonight and helped us to make sure that every dollar we raise goes to kids and programs.
- So next table sponsors I want to thank, and this is a long list, so I'll have you hold your applause
- until we get through it till the end. So these are our gold sponsors this evening, Comprehensive Financial
- David Hayes is a board member and he was a club kid and he's been a supporter ever since. So thank you
- to CFCI, we appreciate you guys. Service Master, Restoration and Cleaning, we thank you to Dusty Bean
- and Sheena. Service Master also presents our Father Daughter Dance. They've been longtime supporters
- of the club so we appreciate them.
- Choice Realty, thank you to board member Lori Todd, past board president and advocate for kids. Lori
- not only supports the club, but she rolls up her sleeves and does whatever it takes for kids.
- So thank you, Lori, we appreciate you. IMA, Internal Medicine Associates Healthcare Foundation, we're
- so thankful for the Rink family. The Rink family's been long time supporters of the club and we really
- appreciate their support tonight. Markies, rental and staging, thank you to Zach Strabing and the crew
- for making us sound and look good. We appreciate that so much.
- Master Rental, Darren Lavin is a past board member. He donates equipment for almost all of our events,
- which is a huge expense that we don't have to pass on. And so we really appreciate that gift. It's a
- big gift from him. Cassidy Electrical Contractors, a division of Houston Electrical. The Cassidy family
- has left a legacy for the club. And with this event specifically, May Cassidy was an inaugural speaker
- at this event 10 years ago. So thank you to them.
- Boston Scientific, John Hauser, Mariah Souders, and the whole Boston Scientific team. Not only are they
- great supporters of our Owen County Club and the Bloomington Clubs, but tonight they're here to support
- Jayla, who's our Youth of the Year, who you're going to hear from later tonight. Give it up for Jayla
- over there.
- Jayla's mom works at Boston Scientific, and so we're excited to have them here and supporting us. And
- then Elmore companies, DG Elmore and the whole Elmore family have been longtime supporters of the club
- and of this event specifically. And then DSC Consulting, Dana Star Cummings, who you'll hear from pretty
- soon here. We're getting to our emcee for the night. And that rounds out our gold sponsors. So can you
- give us a round of applause for the gold sponsors, please?
- All right, now for our silver sponsors. Thank you to the Eads family, the Engraving and Stamping Center,
- German American Bank, Ryan Prahl, and Meinakee of Ellesville. Please give them a round of applause.
- And then a thank you to our bronze sponsors, JC Bank, Monroe County Public Library, IU School of Nursing,
- IU Health South Region, Bryan Thompson, F.C. Tucker, Bloomington Realtors,
- Susan Yalie Holmes, Sterling Real Estate, the Wyman Group, Spring Hill Sweets, and Hoosier Hills Credit
- Union. Round of applause for all of those sponsors.
- Again, this is how we get it done tonight so that dollars we raised this evening go directly to kids
- and programs. So thank you so much to all of our sponsors and for being here tonight. And I think that's
- all my thank yous for now. So without further ado, I'm going to introduce you to our emcee for the evening
- and we will start our program. So Dana S. Cummings, Dr. Dana S. Cummings is an entrepreneur, a consultant
- and passionate advocate for women and girls with more than two decades of leadership experience across
- philanthropy, higher education and civic initiatives.
- Her work is consistently focused on creating pathways for women to lead and thrive. Her doctoral research
- explored the leadership journeys of women in higher education, and she previously served on the board
- of our friends at Girls Inc. of Monroe County, including board president, where she championed programs
- that empowered girls to be smart, strong, and bold. Professionally, Dana most recently served as vice
- president for the Institution on Advancement at Franklin College, where she led fundraising, alumni
- engagement, and communications.
- She's also held advancement leadership roles at DePaul University and Indiana University, leading teams
- and raising funds for scholarships, capital projects, and operating support. In 2024, after completing
- her doctorate, Dana founded DSC Consulting to help mission-driven organizations navigate complex challenges
- through strategic clarity, strong governance, and collaborative leadership. Her work focuses on philanthropic strategy.
- strategic planning, and community-centered initiatives that strengthen organizations and the people
- they serve. Dana's from Owen County, but she currently lives with her husband and three children on
- a farm outside Franklin, Indiana, where they raise sheeps and chicken. And she has the best blazer on
- of the evening, so why don't you give me a warm welcome to Dana Cummings.
- Can you hear me? Good evening, Bloomington. How's everybody doing out there tonight? I love it.
- I love it. Y'all are in a good mood. I can see that because you lucky ducks, you get to live here in
- Bloomington, Indiana. How wonderful is that? I am so jealous. Those of us who live elsewhere and get
- to come back and visit, boy, I'll tell you, it is palpable. The minute that I set
- back here in B-Town, there is just something special. There's just something really unique about this
- community. And I am absolutely overjoyed to be here tonight with all of you for what I know is going
- to be a really special evening. So thank you all very much for being here. Thanks for having me.
- As I said, Bloomington is a really special place for me. It is a place that is really filled with deep
- connections, memories, friendships,
- and people I care very much about, many of whom are in the front row here tonight. I thank them for
- being here. And every time I have an opportunity to return, I'm reminded of just how lucky we are and
- how powerful it can be when people come together around a shared purpose. And everyone in this room
- tonight is here for a shared purpose. In many ways, this is where it all began for me.
- here in Bloomington. I started my career at the Indiana University Foundation. I see lots of IU folks
- out in the crowd tonight, which is awesome. I love connecting with old friends. And when I was there,
- I was extremely fortunate to be supported by some of the very best people I have ever known, truly.
- These are people who invested in me, people who believed in me, and people who helped to shape the path
- that I'm still on today. And I can tell you this with complete certainty tonight. I would not be standing
- here in front of you if not for the love, the mentorship, and the care that was poured into me by people
- right here in this community. So being back here tonight, ladies and gentlemen, at a room like this
- for a purpose and a cause like this, it is everything to me. It is deeply, deeply meaningful. And again,
- Our purpose tonight is clear. We are here tonight to invest in girls. It's about lifting up women tonight.
- And it's about strengthening a community by making sure that every young person, especially every girl,
- has the opportunity to grow, to lead, and to thrive. I have spent much of my career working in philanthropy
- and in higher education
- and most recently in consulting with organizations that are, in many cases, trying to solve what seem
- like impossible problems. But woven throughout, all of that work has been a consistent thread for me,
- a deep commitment to supporting and advancing women. A couple of years ago, I was really fortunate to
- get to complete my doctorate. It was a lifelong goal of mine.
- that came to fruition in the summer of 2024. And my dissertation focused on women in leadership.
- Go figure, of course it did. How women navigate systems, how they build influence, and how they ultimately
- find their voice. Long before that research, I had the privilege of serving on the board at Girls' Inc.
- of Monroe County, including a stint as board president. And that experience also shaped me in profound ways.
- and deepen my belief in the importance of creating spaces where girls can truly be themselves. I'll
- also say this, supporting and empowering women isn't just something I studied or something that I do
- professionally, but it has shaped every aspect of my life. Because along the way, I have been surrounded
- by truly extraordinary women.
- These are women who lead with strength and grace, women who speak the truth when it isn't easy, and
- women who have created opportunities for me and for others. These are women who have showed me what
- leadership could and should look like. Many of you are in the room tonight. You know who you are. Family,
- friends, colleagues, community leaders. Thank you.
- Because the work we're talking about tonight, it doesn't happen just in theory. It happens in real life,
- and it's all about relationships. It happens when one woman believes in another, when one voice lifts
- another, when one person creates space for someone else to get to take a step forward. That's why I'm
- so excited about tonight's keynote speaker.
- She has spent her entire career doing exactly that, challenging expectations, expanding possibilities,
- and helping girls and women to see themselves differently. I cannot wait for you to hear from her a
- little later in the program. And if I'm being honest, my awareness of how girls are shaped by the world
- didn't start in a boardroom or a research study. It actually started much earlier. It started on a basketball court.
- Why? Because this is a basketball state. Who's with me? I'm glad to have that national championship,
- but we can have both. This is a basketball state. And when I was growing up, I played a lot of ball.
- And my dad was my coach. And I thought he was about the greatest thing in the world, but he did have
- a go-to phrase when he was in the gym with me, teaching me, encouraging me, pushing me to get better.
- If I wasn't playing well, if I missed a shot, or if I fumbled the ball, he would say, come on, you're
- shooting like a girl. Or, you gotta do better, you're dribbling like a girl today. And at the time,
- I really didn't think much of it. That was what people said. He wasn't the only one who said things
- like that. But years later, I remember reflecting and thinking to myself, well, wait a minute,
- I am a girl, actually, as it turns out.
- What exactly does that mean and what am I supposed to take away from that message? And I think in that
- moment, I really understood that phrase and it became the beginning of something for me because I think
- what it revealed was something perhaps subtle but also powerful. That even in environments where we
- are encouraged, even in spaces where people love and support us, there can still be messages, small,
- often unintentional messages that shape how girls see themselves. Message about what we're supposed
- to be, or what we're capable of, or how we should show up in the world. And I'll tell you this, this
- feels even more real to me now than ever before because I have a daughter. She is 13, so yes, ladies
- and gentlemen, that means I have a teenage daughter in the house.
- send reinforcements, if you like. The caffeinated variety are preferred. Her name is Susan Indiana,
- and I think about things differently now. I think about the messages that she's hearing, the environments
- that she's navigating, and the moments that are shaping how she sees herself, whether we as adults realize
- it or not. And I think about how much it matters that we have to get this right.
- Not just for her, not just for Susan Indiana, but for every girl. And the good news is we've come a
- long way, haven't we? We really have, we've come a long way. Girls have more opportunities today than
- ever before. More visibility, more examples of strong, capable, successful women in every field imaginable.
- And that really matters. Representation matters. Opportunity matters. And voice matters.
- But I think we all know this as well. We're not done yet. There is still a lot of very important work
- to do, and not just in abstract ways, but right here at home in the great Hoosier state. In my doctoral
- research, I spent a lot of time looking at the landscape for women in leadership in our state, and what
- I found was sobering, especially for someone who is so deeply proud to be a Hoosier.
- Indiana ranks in the lower half of states when it comes to outcomes for women, from economic opportunity
- to representation and leadership to overall safety and well-being. Women are less likely to hold leadership
- roles, more likely to face economic barriers, and in many cases, they are still navigating systems that
- were not designed with them in mind. So when you take a step back and look at all of that,
- it becomes clear that the work we do with girls today is not just important, it is vital. It is absolutely
- essential. Because the confidence we build now, the opportunities we create now, the support systems
- we put in place now, those are the things that shape what leadership looks like 10, 20, and 30 years
- down the road. And that is why places like this club
- matter so much because they create something incredibly important. They create space, ladies and gentlemen.
- Space. Space for girls to try new things, to fail, and then have the opportunity to try to do it again.
- What a gift that is for a young girl. To discover what they're good at, to build relationships, to find
- their voice, and maybe most importantly, to begin to see themselves
- not just as who they are today, but as who they can become. So programs offered like those here at the
- club, they don't just fill time after school, we all know that, they build confidence, they challenge
- stereotypes, they open doors, they help girls understand that their ideas matter, that their presence
- matters, and that their leadership matters.
- And I've seen it again and again over the course of my research and my work and in my own life. When
- girls are given that kind of support early on, when they are surrounded by people who believe in them,
- when they are encouraged to lead, to speak, to try and to stretch themselves, they carry that with them.
- They carry that forward into high school and into college, into their careers, and ultimately into their
- communities.
- And they don't just participate, they lead. They lead. And that is exactly what tonight is all about.
- It's about making sure that more girls have that experience. It's about making sure that cost is not
- a barrier and making sure that access is not limited. It's about making sure that every child who walks
- through these doors here at this club has the opportunity to become the very best version of themselves.
- We learned this a little earlier in the evening from Leslie. The annual membership to be part of this
- club is just $20. That is remarkable, just $20. But the actual cost to provide that experience is closer
- to $750 per year. That gap, as we know, doesn't just close itself. It closes because of people like
- you. People who show up, people who give, and people who believe, most importantly, that this work
- matters. And tonight, you, me, we, collectively, we are those people. So as we move through the evening,
- as you listen, as you reflect, as you consider how you might like to be part of this work, I would simply
- invite you to think about this. Think about a girl in your life. Maybe it's your daughter, your granddaughter,
- a student, a neighbor, or maybe it's yourself at a younger age. Think about what made a difference.
- Who believed in you? Who created space for you? Who helped you to see what might be possible? That's
- what you're doing tonight for girls across this community, for their futures, and for our collective
- future. It is an honor
- to be here with you in support of a cause that is so very near and dear to my heart. And it is a privilege
- to be part of an evening that is so clearly about building something that is bigger than ourselves.
- So thank you for being here. Thank you for believing in this work. And thank you for investing in the
- next generation of smart girls who will become strong women.
- And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce our keynote speaker for this evening.
- Jodi Bondi-Norgard is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and changemaker dedicated to breaking gender
- stereotypes and advancing equality through business, media, and policy. She is the author of More Than
- a Doll, How Creating a Sports Doll Turned into a Fight to End Gender Stereotypes,
- a powerful story of Jodi Bondi-Norgard, purpose-driven entrepreneurship, and challenging the status
- quo. Jodi is the founder of Dream Big Toy Company and the creator of the award-winning Go Go Sports
- Girls, an innovative line of dolls, books, and apps designed to inspire confidence, encourage active
- play, and expand what's possible for girls.
- Her work has been featured in major media outlets, including The Today Show, Forbes, Parents, The Washington
- Post, and the Chicago Tribune. Very impressive. A recognized thought leader in gender equity, Jodi has
- collaborated with the White House Gender Policy Council under the Biden administration, the Gina Davis
- Institute on Gender in Media, and co-chaired the Toy Association's first Diversity, Equity, Inclusion,
- and Belonging Committee.
- A TEDx speaker and regular contributor to Ms. Magazine, she speaks across the country on advancing equality
- for women and girls, sharing insights on entrepreneurship, resilience, and the power of using business
- to drive meaningful cultural change. Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for Jodi Bondi-Norgard.
- Hi, everyone. Wow. I've gotten, I'm so lucky to know Dana. I mean, seriously, she's like my new best
- friend. I'm just so happy to have gotten to know her, but I have to tell you, this is my second time
- being in Bloomington this week. I am a proud Indiana University grad, and I was down for steering.
- Go Hoosiers. I was down for Little Five. I was part of Student Foundation and we had our reunion.
- So I was, I'm just thrilled to be back. And like Dana said, oh my gosh, how exciting is it every time
- I come back to Bloomington and I get to turn onto College Avenue. My heart just keeps going. So I wouldn't
- be here today without my
- that I had at Indiana University. Okay, so let's get started here. So again, thank you for having me.
- So I want to read a little bit about my book, a few quotes from my book to give you an idea of why I've
- stayed with this mission for so long, why I've persisted, why I've persevered after what seems like
- 100 plus setbacks.
- So these are real quotes I heard from toy and publishing professionals. And I'll just read a few to
- you. Girls who play sports don't play with dolls. Girls empowerment was a trend a few years ago. It's
- not anymore. You need to add more blonde, blue-eyed dolls and make their legs longer. Generally, kids
- who are active don't read.
- A sports doll will never sell because girls like fashion. Can you create a fashion doll? Black dolls
- don't sell well. Boys don't read books about girls. I love your product, but it'll never sell because
- it's not mainstream. And it's not a fashion doll. And ultimately, girls like fashion. Do you actually
- believe any of these? Of course not. But these were actual industry statements, and they weren't just biases.
- in the industry, they echoed things that I had been hearing my entire life. And maybe you have too.
- So when I was younger, I was very well aware of my empathy and my compassion and my sensitivity towards
- others. And I saw it as my strength. But as I got older, I began to hear that I was too sensitive and
- I was too nice. And even my high school guidance counselor,
- told me that this was my weakness and that I was too nice to go to college and into business and I was
- better suited as a secretary or somebody else's assistant just because I was nice. So I'm glad I didn't
- listen to her, but I continued to believe in my strengths and I created a positive image product for
- girls. But now I was hearing that I was still too sensitive. Now I was too confident.
- and too big of a feminist. And my product wasn't needed because women and girls were already too empowered.
- I started to hear comments that undervalued my achievements, such as, how's your little business going?
- Or, your little Ted Talk was so cute. I was called a working mom, a super mom, and asked how I did it
- all, running a business with three kids. I can guarantee my husband
- Nor any man has ever heard those words. But I bet some of you have. So for the first half of my life,
- I went along with this BS. I didn't make any waves. I didn't complain. But I kind of felt like I was
- living in a dimly lit room and my eyes were just adjusted to the twilight. My eyes were adjusted to
- the twilight. And I thought, man, it has to be me.
- I have to be changed to fit in. I have to buck up. I have to figure it out. I have to work harder. It
- has to be about me. But as time went on, I realized maybe it isn't me at all. Because for far too long,
- women have been told to change to fit in, to toughen up, that we need to be fixed. But here's the thing,
- we're not broken.
- It's our system that's broken and our culture that needs to be fixed because women were born to change
- the world. That is something. That is a belief I have always held, but I heard this
- term, women were born to change the world. At a conference where I was speaking, it was the Indiana
- Conference for Women at Indianapolis with another woman, her name is Dr. Tarari Trent. And if you do
- not know Dr. Tarari Trent, she's worth a Google. She started the schools in Zimbabwe for girls with
- Oprah. And throughout her presentation, she would say, and women were born to change the world. And
- it made me realize, it's not enough.
- for women to know they're capable and strong. It's the world to know we're capable and strong. And it's
- changing the way the world perceives our strengths. And that starts in childhood. So a lot of times
- you hear of aha moments in glamorous places, like somebody in a mountain or walking along a beach during sunset.
- Other times you hear of people having moments of clarity when they're meditating or practicing mindfulness.
- Me, my moment of clarity, the time I said I see a problem, there must be a better way, and why can't
- I be the one to fix it? Was that a toy store? Not so glamorous at all. Okay, so parents out there, you
- will be familiar with this scene. You are running into the toy store with your child by hand
- because she needs a wrap birthday gift for a party. She's attending in 30 minutes, right? So we've all
- had those panicky parenting moments. So that was me and my daughter Grace was with me at the time and
- she was nine and she had just gotten done playing soccer. So she is still in her soccer uniform. She
- has on her cleats and her shin guards and her hair is in crazy messy pigtails and her face is all rosy
- with exertion and I tell you this because she looked like a normal kid.
- on a Saturday afternoon, as we're frantically running up and down the aisles when a line of dolls just
- stopped me in my tracks. They had on short skirts, crop top, belly button ring, big hair, lots of makeup.
- I look at my daughter, I look at this doll, I pick up the doll, and the name on the hang tag is lovely
- Lola. That's the little dolly that did it in for me. That changed everything for me, and I literally had
- a meltdown. I'm looking at this doll thinking, there's not one parent out there that wants their daughter
- to look, act, or be called lovely Lola. So I'm pulling all the other dolls off the shelf and it's Sizzle
- and Sue and Cute Candy and Dazzle and Destiny. Right? I mean, you laugh, but I mean, seriously, that
- is actually the names. And I thought, this is crazy. I am so sick and tired of it. So I grabbed Lola
- and I bought her.
- As I'm scolding the salesperson saying, oh my gosh, look at this doll, it's sexy, you should not be
- marketing sex to girls. He's like, I'm 16. I'm like, whatever, tell your manager. And I'm running out
- the door and my daughter's like, mom, mom, mom, stop, stop. Is that the birthday gift for Maddie?
- I'm like, no, no. I'm buying it to show dad. I need to show dad, which confused her even more.
- So I did. I brought the doll home to my husband and I said, hey listen, I am so sick and tired of these
- negative messages that are marketed at girls and I think I can do something about it. I think I can
- create a positive image product for girls that encourages them to be healthy physically, mentally, and
- emotionally through sports and physical activity. So it made me realize also that this line of dolls
- did not scream strong, smart, and adventurous. And I thought, if this is what girls can see, I certainly
- don't want my daughter to be it. And I was positive that the majority of parents were going to agree with me.
- As I look back at my entrepreneurial journey, it was that moment in the toy aisle that made me realize
- something I've always known, that we as a culture, specifically the toy industry, was doing a lousy
- job showing girls strong, smart, and powerful images. And maybe I couldn't change a culture, but there
- had to be something I could do, and maybe I could change an industry.
- So that moment in the toy aisle led me to create a positive image product for girls, be invited to the
- White House as a thought leader, ultimately sell my business, and now act as an activist promoting girl
- power, women power, and gender equality. All because of Lola. We're at a first name basis. So I want
- to share a quote with you. Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not.
- Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men
- and women, it's about equality, with talent. Genius will not, unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
- Education will not, the world is full of educated derelicts and I'm sure we all know some of those.
- Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. So I will be the first to tell you, I am not a genius.
- And I'm not overly talented,
- But while I'm educated, one of my biggest goals at IU was to attend as many fraternity parties as possible,
- and I was super successful. So for lack of a better word, maybe I'm just average or just normal.
- but I am persistent and determined, which has been fueled by passion. So persistence is a very common
- word, but I want to share the definition with you. Persistence is a quality that allows someone to do
- something that is difficult or opposed by others. And while persistence brings out uniqueness,
- it's not easy, it comes with baggage, it comes with risk, it comes with fear, it comes with
- incredible fatigue, but it also comes with joy and growth and ultimately reward. So my moment in the
- Toya Aya was my moment of clarity, but it was preceded by many situations in my life, big and small,
- that shaped who I am and how I feel about gender issues. My own personal experiences of gender inequality
- and gender stereotyping
- that has led me to know the importance of girls knowing what their minds and bodies can do versus what
- their bodies look like. And while those gender issues were on my radar for years, for decades, I didn't
- know what I could do to change things. I didn't know what I could do to make a difference. So I just
- pushed it aside until I met
- Oh, and what really started to open my eyes were my three kids. This is when it started all to come
- together for me. So in this picture are Peter, Grace, and Ben. Peter's the older one. And I show you
- this picture, and obviously they're a lot older right now, but when my kids were in this age of six,
- seven, and eight, I saw them as equals. They were equally smart. They were equally funny. They were
- equally difficult.
- but I knew they all should have the same opportunity. But in that age range of six, seven, and eight,
- I started to see a discrepancy of products marketed to girls and products marketed to boys. I started
- to see products marketed to girls associated with appearance and attractiveness, and products marketed
- to boys associated with violence and aggression. Now, my sons were never violent or aggressive, and
- I didn't want to encourage that.
- And my daughter was always super smart, and I didn't want her to feel that she all of a sudden had to
- focus on her appearance. And one of my first realizations of this, ironically, was in a toy store. So
- it was summer, and I wanted to buy a science kit for the kids. So I go into the toy store by myself,
- and I'm immediately annoyed. Why? Because there is a boy science aisle and a girl science aisle. And
- I thought to myself, seriously?
- When did science become gendered now? And I'm like, whatever. I followed directions. I go down the boys'
- science aisle. What do I see? A bunch of cool things. But in particular, the volcano that explodes,
- right? The vinegar, the baking soda, the boys have goggles, the thing's exploding. I'm like, great option,
- great outdoor option, but great option. Now, I'm curious. What is down the girl science aisle? Sure.
- can be a scientist, but you can make your own fingernail polish, your own makeup, your own hair scrunchie,
- your own perfume, your own bath bomb. Again, it all revolved around appearance. And again, I didn't
- know what I could do to make a difference, so I pushed it aside. Until I met Lola. That's when I knew.
- I want her to be fresh in your mind.
- That's when I knew how I was going to make a difference. That's when I knew what I could do to create
- change. But what I didn't know was the long road ahead of me and the battle I would begin to fight.
- So once I decided to move forward on a positive image product for girls, I needed to figure out, well,
- what do I do? I know nothing about the toy industry. I know nothing about designing, manufacturing,
- shipping, whatever. Nothing. I had to ask a lot of questions, and I did.
- I had to do research first. Were there any sports dolls? None. I was very surprised. I found a lot of
- baby dolls. I found a lot of drag dolls. Then I found a lined, I found 75 lines of fashion dolls. 75
- lines of fashion dolls. And then within the fashion doll, I created my own category. It's called the
- sexy doll.
- category, sexy fashion dolls. So here's a problem with these dolls. So you see over here, the four dolls,
- those are brats, B-R-A-T-Z, we all are familiar with brats, yes. No parent wants their daughter to be
- called a brat. Their feet come off, it's creepy. But the problem with this is that little girls see
- this in their toys, they see it in their media, they see it in the retail that is marketed to them.
- So it's human nature.
- to imitate what you see. And if little girls start imitating the Bradstalls and they wear something
- like this to school as a young person, what happens? They're shamed. They're told to put their gym uniform
- on. They're told to call their parents or their caregivers and have a change of clothing brought. They're
- told that they're suspended. That's the worst scenario.
- Many of us, all of us have probably heard of those scenarios too. So we're slapping the wrong hands.
- We're slapping the hands of these little girls who are receiving these confusing and conflicting messages
- when we should be slapping the hands of the manufacturers and the retailers and the advertisers that
- are marketing this stuff to our girls. Thank you. So in the center here are the Monster High dolls,
- and that's by Mattel.
- And the tagline is, be unique, be yourself, be a monster. Again, no parent wants their daughter to be
- a monster. But here's the thing with these dolls, be unique. I can come up with about 10 ways in 10
- seconds that a little girl can be unique without looking like a sexy, creepy cat. So Barbie here looks
- pretty innocent, right?
- I had an issue with Barbie in 2015. It just happened that I was in New York at the time, and it was
- just announced that Barbie, who had just turned 50, made the cover a Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
- The media is going crazy. Congratulations, Barbie. Congratulations, SI. And my head is spinning for
- two reasons.
- Barbie's plastic, it doesn't matter if she's 50 or 150, she's gonna look the same. Secondly, and more
- importantly, Barbie is a doll, is a toy that is marketed to little girls that are four, five, six, seven,
- eight years old. Yet, she made the cover of one of the sexiest magazines in our country that is marketed
- to grown men.
- This is so creepy and disturbing. Like I said, I'm in New York. I called ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox. I said,
- you have to have me on your show. This is not good for our girls and this is not good for our boys.
- And they all said, no. That's okay. They knew I wasn't going away, right? I'm persistent. And they knew
- I was on to something. So down here are
- LOL dolls. And I have to tell you, they had nothing to do with my research. But are some of you familiar
- with the LOL dolls? Yep, yep, yep. So this is designed by, manufactured by MGA, the same company that
- owns Bratz. So this doll came out in 2018, won the Toy Association Toy of the Year Award in 2018, 2019,
- 2020. So you think,
- That's pretty good. Well, I wrote an article about this. So what it was is that they come in a ball,
- and this guy, Isaac Larian, he made a billion dollars in his first year off of sales, which is incredible.
- So it was all about the surprise factor. So all the little kids would get this ball, and then they'd
- open it, and it was a surprise. And part of the surprise was a secret color change.
- So for instance, if you dip this little dolly in water, her hair maybe comes out pink and the bow comes
- out white. Pretty cool. But what they didn't disclose, some of the dolls that you dip in water come
- out with a clothing change, and some had on sexy lingerie. Others had a devil tail on its backside.
- Others had caution tape over their private parts. And others had shackles on their wrists and ankles.
- This is happening. Can you imagine sitting around a boardroom table saying, yeah, that's a good idea.
- Let's add shackles. I mean, I can't even. I can't even. That is insane to me. So I just wanted to share
- this with you to let you know that the sexy doll stuff is alive and kicking.
- So, okay, now you can imagine my room is super bright, and I could really see where I was going, but
- what I couldn't unsee were the harmful gender stereotypes that were everywhere. I saw them in the beautiful
- girls coloring book versus the brilliant boys coloring book. Let the world hear you war for little boys,
- let the world see you bloom, I can't see it over here, for little girls.
- And so what really got me were the t-shirts. Training to be Batman and be a hero for boys. Training
- to be Batman's wife and I need a hero for little girls. So what this is telling little boys is that
- this, little boys, you are in the main character and little girls, you are in the supporting role. So
- let me tell you how this plays out in adult life.
- A good friend of mine is an attorney, and she became the managing partner of a big law firm in Chicago.
- And she asked all the partners in the firm to write a paragraph on their everyday duties. Who are your
- clients? What are your in-house projects? And she prefaced to me, she said, they basically have the
- same thing, just different clients, different in-house projects. She said,
- It was so amazing. Every man started his paragraph, I lead. Every woman started her paragraph, I assist.
- It's okay to tell little boys that they lead, but we need to tell little girls that they lead too. So
- in my research, I found microaggressions.
- So these are just, and Dana talked about this, these are things that I heard as well when I was a young
- girl. For instance, you throw like a girl, you run like a girl, don't cry like a girl, boys will be
- boys. So these are just small terms that are like paper cuts and they build over time and they're harmful.
- So these are just confusing and conflicting messages that
- young people receive at a very young age. And I heard these terms when I was younger. But I also heard
- them when I was older, too. So my kids and I were visiting my family out in Virginia. And we're in my
- uncle's backyard, and it's summer, and a beautiful, hot, super hot DC day. And my nine-year-old son
- says to me, ma'am, will you play ball with me?
- And I said, yeah, sure, let's play catch. So as I go pick up the ball, I'm getting ready to throw. And
- I hear one of my uncles say to my family, there were about 15 of us, and I heard him say, hey, everyone,
- let's watch Jody. Let's see if she throws like an athlete or she throws like a girl. And when I threw
- the ball, what went through my head, I pray I throw like an athlete.
- Shame on me. Shame on me. I wish I would have looked at my uncle and said, yeah, I throw like a girl.
- I eat like a girl. I run like a girl. I play tennis like a girl. I sleep like a girl. I dress like a
- girl. I brush my teeth like a girl. I read like a girl because I am a girl. And it's nothing to be ashamed
- of. And it wouldn't have been just a good lesson for my uncle and family, but my kids too.
- So when the words like a girl are used to mean something negative or bad, it's so disempowering. OK,
- now I needed some hard facts. And I found that 17 million girls in the US play one sport a year. That's
- one in three girls play one sport a year.
- And sports and physical activity is associated with improved academic achievement, healthy and positive
- body image. It is collaboration. It is teamwork. It is leadership that the girls learn. And those leadership
- skills extend into adult life, where 400 female corporate executives were surveyed and 94% played a sport.
- when they were younger. Girls play sports, so should their dogs. So now I needed to get designing. Knew
- nothing. I'm an okay drawer. Just okay. Very sketchy. I had to figure out what do I do? Well, I measured
- my daughter and all her little friends that came through the door. I measured their wingspan, the length
- of their legs, the size of their torso, the shape of their head, and I shrunk it down to make sure it
- was in correct
- proportion to a little girl's body. So it took two years from rough draft to the actual debut of the
- first doll, tennis girl Gracie at the US Open in 2008. And that was my first sale, so I was pretty proud
- of it. I have no connection to the USTA at all. I just called them one day. I picked up the phone. I
- called them. I said, this is what I got. They said, great, we'll take 500.
- And those 500 sold out in six days. I cannot tell you how excited I was. I just happened to be there
- that year with some friends, and to see these little girls carrying the dolls throughout the park, the
- grounds, and there was one little girl that was with her parents, and she was holding the hand, and
- the doll is hanging, and I bent down right to her, and I said, oh, little doll, girl, do you just love
- your dolly? And her parents are like,
- And my friends grab me and they're like, yeah, you cannot do that. They don't know who you are. I was
- just so excited. I saw him on Jumbo Toms. So I knew I was onto something. I knew I had a good idea.
- And so my next goal was to launch the line of nine dolls at the New York Toy Fair.
- Everybody comes from all over the world, and this is in February of 2009, to see what the next best
- thing is. I'm like, it's me. It's me. I was cocky. I was really cocky. I was like, this is going, I
- am onto something. Well, not so much. I had so many buyers come to my booth and say, oh my gosh, I love
- your product. My daughter, she plays soccer. She loves soccer, girl.
- And I'd say, great, how many would you like to buy? I'd always get the hand, oh, no, no, no, no, no,
- no, no. It'll never sell. And I said, why? He said, ultimately, girls like fashion. Can you create a
- fashion doll? I'm like, that's my point. As a mother of a daughter and as a woman, I'm positive girls
- like more than fashion. Plus, there are 75 lines of fashion dolls out there. Why would I create a fashion
- doll? And I do want to say, I have nothing against fashion.
- I love fashion. I love when people express themselves. I love how designers are so talented and creative.
- But does that define a person? Man or woman? Boy or girl? Absolutely not. So I hung in there. But I
- also knew that mainstream ideas never create change, and I was creating change.
- So yeah, I hung in there. Well, you don't want to talk to my husband about that, but I did hang in there
- for five years, for five long years. And if you were to open my books, you would say, whoa, this is
- a terrible business model because I put everything back into the business.
- So what kept me going because I didn't I just I knew girls deserve more and I knew I was right. I don't
- think I'm right about a lot of things. I was right about that. So what kept me going was the media and
- all the awards I won in the toy.
- industry, except for the Toy Association Award. I never won that, but whatever. I won all the other
- top ones, maybe because I didn't have a sexy doll. So anyway, and these are just a sprinkling of the
- publications that I was in. And the Today Show was the biggest one. And actually, it was such perfect
- timing when they called
- I just happened to be in Arizona with my husband. He was there for business. I tagged along.
- It was February. Who doesn't want to get out of Chicago in February? So I went along with him. And I
- was lamenting and complaining, like, I just can't figure this out. I'm missing something. Like, what
- is going on? These buyers are my gatekeepers. And he said, maybe our culture isn't ready for this. Maybe
- you're ahead of your time.
- And as much as I wanted to disagree with him, I knew he was right. I knew he was right. He said,
- you know, maybe it's time to throw in the towel. It just broke my heart. And so he went to his meeting.
- I went back to bed. And my phone rang. And it said, NBC. And I was like, what? I hit it. And it was
- a woman. She said, hi, this is Stephanie. I'm a producer on the Today Show. We'd like to do.
- feature on you. I'm like, I'm alive. I can't give up now. I mean, my husband came home thinking that
- he would, you know, I'd be sad. I'm like, oh, I'm going to New York. But so anyway, so the media kept
- me going. The awards kept me going. So I knew I had a pulse on what our culture wanted. I knew I had
- a vibe that parents wanted better for their girls, too. But the buyers were my gatekeepers. So what
- kept me going?
- was my pack, my squad, the people who gave me their time, their talent, a shoulder to lean on when I
- wanted to give it up. And my favorite, we don't have stairs here. See this woman here in the white shirt
- in the middle? Yeah? Do you see her? Can you just see her? Okay, yes. Well, she is one of my favorites.
- And her daughter is here tonight.
- Kendall Tom. Wave, Kendall. I'm proud to have Kendall here. And Kara has been one of my biggest supporters
- and editor of my book and author of all the GoGo Sports Girl books. And how I met Kara was a phone call.
- She called me. Again, my phone said Chaska, Minnesota.
- I'm like, well, that's intriguing. I've never had a call from Chaska, Minnesota. And so I picked it
- up. And she said, hi, my name's Kara Tom. I have three little girls. You were six at the time.
- And she said, we have all the go-go sports girls. And she said, I'm a children's book author, and I'd
- love to write books for you. And I said, I love that idea. I said, but Kara, there's a problem.
- And she said, what? And I said, I can't pay you. She's like, that's OK. I just want to be a part of
- the project. I'm like, deal.
- But let me tell you, I have been able to pay Kara her royalties since then. But Kara has been by my
- side, and I couldn't have done it with her. She came to the White House with me. I talked to her on
- my way today as I was in traffic on 65. So anyway, after five years and after 500 nos, I thought, I'm
- going to give Toy Fair one more shot.
- And if it doesn't work out, I'm going to throw in the towel. Well, I get to Toy Fair. I have this crazy
- opportunity to pitch to three Walmart buyers. I had five minutes. I gave them my best pitch. And after
- five minutes, they said, this is a winner. If you can write six books to go along with six of the dolls,
- package them together, we will put them in Walmart stores, or you can
- I call Kara, I'm like, she had already written one book for soccer girl. I'm like, you have to write
- five more books. Oh my gosh, we're going to Walmart. And I hired an illustrator and an editor, and together
- we created the Go Go Sports Girl reading plays that hit Walmart stores in 2015. And that's what got
- the ball rolling.
- And that's what got the ball rolling. And in 2016, I was invited to the White House to participate in
- conferences on breaking down gender stereotypes in media and toys with the Obama administration. And
- then in 2016,
- I was having capital issues because my Walmart orders were getting bigger and bigger. And so I was telling
- this to a friend of mine who worked for a large toy company in Miami called Jazzwares. I said, I don't
- know what I'm going to do. I need to figure something out. And she's like, well, maybe our company will
- acquire you. And I said, OK, that would be great, which is hard to have a business acquired. And I said,
- when are you going to do this? She's like, I'm going to take it to the president right now. I'm like,
- OK. She called me back five minutes later. She's like, yeah, they're going to acquire it.
- Wait, what? I'm like, I'm eating a sandwich right now. And you're like, OK. OK. So they acquired it.
- And I thought my story ended there. Because after all my presentations, I would say, in 2018, Jazzwares
- and I will empower girls throughout the world until they got cold feet. I know. It's so sad. But anyway.
- So they pulled the plush dolls. So these are plush dolls. We redesigned the dolls to hard body dolls.
- OK, so like, you know, plastic. And we were ready to go forward. I had a team of 10, and they hired
- two new people, George and Jorge. And they did not think this was a good idea. I was able to convince
- George I was not
- able to convince Jorge. And so they returned the intellectual property to me, the brand to me, so it
- was actually the best breakup possible. And I gotta tell you, this is just a side note, guess where
- Jorge is now? I don't know, he's working for CBS. He's not even in the toy industry anymore. I'm like,
- oh my God. Anyway, so that's when I knew my journey has been more than a doll.
- And I'm sounding the siren that gender inequality doesn't start in our teens or in our 20s. It starts
- the moment a child can watch a show, hold a toy, or a book. So after all of this, after the designing
- of the dolls, the launching of the dolls, the Walmart story, the wins, the losses, the writing the book,
- this is what I've learned.
- It's really not about the toys. It's about the messages and the stories our girls hear about who they're
- allowed to be and what is possible. Because if she can see strength, possibility, leadership, then she
- can be it. And that is the power every single person in this room
- has the power to change and influence. So this is what it all comes down to. What kids see shapes what
- they believe. Here's how we change it. Show kids things that are different. Show girls as builders.
- Show girls as strong leaders. Show boys compassion and empathy. This is how we create change.
- And we need to redefine strength. Strength is not toughness. It's not bullying. It's not name calling.
- It's not putting others down. Strength is empathy, courage, kindness, compassion, collaboration. That
- is true leadership. And use your voice in small moments. So if you hear the words, like a girl, or boys
- don't cry,
- Call those things out. Call out stereotypes. Ask kids in your life, what do you notice and who is missing?
- Money talks. All right, ladies in the room, we control 80% of the consumer purchasing power. It is time
- that we recognize our strength and we use it
- and we press on together. If you do not like something, don't buy it. If you want to complain, there
- are websites for you to complain about consumer products. And they're in the back of my book as well
- as on my website. And if you don't like a product, email that company. They listen. So change happens
- when we persist.
- So my big moment happened under ordinary circumstances. And what I have learned is that you don't need
- to be a genius, overly talent, or a big team to create change. What you need is to take your best idea,
- step over fear, find your courage, and persist when things get difficult. So I started today with one
- of my favorite quotes from Dr. Tarare Trent. And I want to leave you with a quote
- that I love from Madeleine Albright. There's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other.
- And for those who do, there will always be a special place of honor. Thank you.
- Can we get another round of applause for Jodi? You know, I heard a lot of things from both Dana and
- Jodi, and I've been just sitting here kind of reflecting on them, but I wrote a couple of things down.
- I'm a note-taker for everyone who works with me, you know. Dana said, at the Boys and Girls Club, we
- create space. And I heard a lot of that in what Jodi said, too.
- Space for girls to try things, to fail and try again, to discover what they're good at and
- build relationships, to find their voice, and maybe most importantly, to begin to see themselves not
- just as they are today, but as who they can become. That was a powerful quote. Thanks, Dana. Jodi, I
- heard you say there's a space for us all. Everybody has a space. I heard you say that whether it's a
- boy or a girl,
- Whether it's a fashion lover or a sports lover, there is a place for us all. I also heard you say that
- there's support, and support matters. That having people in your corner matters. That seeing people
- that you want to be like matters. Seeing people that look like you in positions of power and leadership
- matters. Belief matters. Telling someone that you believe in them is a very powerful tool. It matters.
- And persistence.
- Matters, I heard that over and over again. Stick-to-itiveness, that you don't have to be the smartest
- one in the room or the strongest one in the room, but if you're still in the room, after you get knocked
- over a couple of times or fail maybe 100 times, that's what matters. And so thank you so much for those
- powerful words. Thank you for those moments you both shared with us of persistence and of who you are.
- And thank you, more importantly, for just sharing yourselves with us tonight. So one more round of applause
- for Dana and Jodi. Thank you so much.
- It's so important to have examples of strong women in our lives. Just drop something that I need.
- All right, here we go. Jody's a great example of strong women, so is Dana. But strength looks different
- in us all. It can look loud. It can look quiet. It can look like serving. It can look like leading.
- And one thing that I've learned from so many women in my life and what we try to teach at the Boys and
- Girls Club is that it should look like you.
- It's really important that it looks like you. And there's a couple of women that we want to honor tonight
- who did that so very well and taught those lessons to me specifically too. One of those women whose
- quiet strength looked like showing up year after year to serve the ones who need us most was Ellie Rink.
- Ellie passed away in 2025, leaving a hole in the hearts of many of us who knew her. A hole that can
- only be filled with gratitude. Gratitude for the memories we have of her leadership, her kindness, her
- passion, her care, her service, all done, of course, with grace and style, if you knew Ellie. Ellie
- was connected to the club through the Auxiliary. The Auxiliary has played a powerful role in the Boys
- and Girls Club for many years.
- They're a group that funds special projects and shows up for kids over and over again. Ellie joined
- the auxiliary in 1977 and was the president from 1988 to 1989. On my very first week at the Boys and
- Girls Club in 2014, one of the first people I met was Ellie Rink. She walked in with food, surprise,
- surprise, and later I learned that this was not uncommon. Ellie regularly came to the club with food.
- She came for a Friday meal, a long-standing auxiliary tradition, to give kids a hot meal every single
- week. A meal that they could put in a to-go container and take for the weekend to make sure they had
- food over the weekend. And she told me so many stories of how she had fed kids since the 70s and that
- it was her great joy to make sure kids felt cared for. She also always shared how blessed she felt.
- Every time I saw her, she shared gratitude. Gratitude for her blessings in life.
- her husband, her family, her friends, and her community, and she understood that she was blessed, and
- the gratitude that she felt for those blessings fueled her desire to bless and serve others. Her life
- was rooted in care for others. She and her husband Larry built a life centered around family and community,
- raising their children here in Bloomington and pouring themselves into the organizations that made this
- city stronger. Her greatest pride was her family. Her son Scott, her daughter-in-law Allison, who's
- here with us tonight, and her four
- grandchildren, a couple of them who worked at the club over the years, and they carry forward that same
- sense of kindness and generosity that she showed each and every day. Those of us who knew Ellie would
- tell you she led with grace, with warmth, and with strength. She didn't look for recognition. She simply
- saw a need, and she met it. So tonight, we're going to start a Smart Girls Strong Woman tradition in
- honor of Ellie Rink, and we're going to give the gratitude. So on your table,
- You have a little stone, and I'm going to ask you to take it out of your bag. And it says on it, let
- gratitude motivate your generosity. I'm going to ask you to hold that stone in your hand, because Ellie's
- service and generosity were motivated by gratitude. And tonight, I'm going to ask that we all take a
- moment to reflect on Jody's words, and Dana's words, and who Ellie Rank was, to pause and think of the
- things and the people that you are grateful for.
- And we're just gonna take a minute. You know, they say that thinking about gratitude and the things
- we're grateful for reduces your anxiety, helps you to ground yourself in the present, and helps you
- to think about a world that's bigger than just yourself. And so we're gonna take 30 seconds and we're
- gonna think. And I'm gonna ask that you take a moment and reflect on the things that you're grateful for.
- Thank you for taking that time to do that tonight. It's powerful when we stop and pause and spend a
- moment thinking about the things that matter most to us. So I have one more ask of you with this stone.
- For Ellie, gratitude wasn't just an attitude or a feeling, it was action, motivated action. And I hope
- that you will take this stone when you leave today and you'll place it on your dashboard, maybe you'll
- put it in your purse, maybe you'll stick it on your desk at work or somewhere that you'll see it.
- and it will remind you to let gratitude motivate generosity. Maybe that means taking out your phone
- and texting somebody that you're thankful for them. Maybe it looks like that support group that Jody
- talked about, reminding people you're in their corner, telling them you believe in them and you care
- about them. Maybe it looks like leaving here and signing up to volunteer. We could always use your help.
- We need tutors. We need people to bring meals on Fridays. There's lots of things you can do, and there's
- tons of organizations in this community who could use your help.
- Maybe it looks like giving tonight when it comes time to do that. Whatever that looks like, I would
- ask that you would reflect on what you're grateful for and that you would allow that to motivate your
- generosity in this great community, for this community that we all love. Thank you for letting me take
- some time to honor Ellie tonight. Let's just cheer for Ellie too. We love her.
- Another strong woman we're going to honor tonight and one of the most memorable women I ever got to
- know was Ann St. John. Excited tonight to be able to tell you a little bit about Ann and then welcome
- up somebody who knew her best of all, her sister Jane. When I first met Ann, I was struggling to find
- my voice as a new professional. And Ann told me, snap out of it. Be yourself. You don't need to be anybody
- else in the way that Ann does, lovingly.
- She told me to just be me, to stop worrying about it so much, to stop trying to look like other people
- and mimic other people, but to just stand in my own strength. Because she told me that nobody else could
- bring to the world what I bring. And that's true of each one of you. Nobody else can bring to the world
- what you bring. What you bring has value, and it matters. And Ann reminded me of that very special thing.
- So in 2021, the club gave its first
- female staff award at this event, the Smart Girl Strong Woman event, and we decided that we would do
- this every year, and of course, we would name it after Ann St. John. Tonight, I'm pleased to invite
- Ann's sister Jane to the stage to present this award and to tell us a little bit more about the wonderful
- woman who Ann was. Please welcome Jane to the stage.
- Good evening. Kristen Bateman brings both heart and intention to everything she does. She holds degrees
- in history and Spanish from Washington University in St. Louis, and her path to the Boys and Girls Club
- reflects a deep commitment to learning and growth. Before joining the Boys and Girls Club, she worked
- as a copy editor for academic journals
- and spent nearly a decade as a homeschool parent and co-op teacher, focusing on history at the high
- school level. Kristen has been part of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monroe County for nearly four years,
- first as a tutor at our Ellitsville Club, and now as Academic Success Director, where she continues
- to strengthen and expand academic support for members. But what stands out most about Kristen
- isn't just her background. It's the way she shows up for kids. One of her nominators said it best. She
- meets kids where they are, speaks to them on their level, and helps them see a path forward. The kids
- love her, and it shows. That feeling of being seen, understood, and capable is what changes everything
- for a young person.
- And that is exactly what Kristen creates every day. She leads the tutoring program, but what she's built
- is more than academic support. It's a space where kids feel encouraged, challenged, and confident. A
- place where learning feels possible. Kristen creates a climate of high expectations with kindness, patience,
- and encouragement. She believes in every child's ability to succeed and works to make sure
- They have the support to get there. And her impact doesn't stop with the kids. Kristen is the teammate
- who steps in wherever she's needed. She brings positivity, professionalism, and a steady presence. As
- one colleague shared, she represents what it means to live the mission. Every decision she makes has
- someone else's best interest in mind.
- Because of Kristen, young people are not only improving academically, they are growing into confident
- individuals who believe in themselves and their futures. And this is what this award is all about. Tonight,
- we are proud to recognize somebody who truly embodies what it means to be a strong woman. Please join
- me in celebrating this year's Anne St. John Strong Woman Award recipient, Kristen Bateman.
- Okay, I have one more job. Okay.
- Legacy is an important part of the Boys and Girls Club culture. As the club celebrates its 70th anniversary,
- we think of the legacy of many people, Ellie and Anne before us especially. Thank you. When we think
- of the club logo, the old one with the torch, we are reminded that we are responsible for keeping that
- torch going for the next generation of leaders and change makers. With that legacy work in mind,
- I'm grateful to share an announcement tonight about a gift that brings Anne's legacy to you in a lasting
- way. The foundation of Anne's is one that I run with Mary Ellen May, Anne's daughter, and Sue Aquila.
- It was created from what would have been her retirement. Instead of stepping away, her vision
- was to give back in a deeper way to this community that she loved and believed in people, especially
- children and families who were working to build a meaningful future for themselves. She believed in
- removing barriers so opportunities could take hold. We often hear, as we were reminded earlier, that
- it costs $20 per year for a child to attend the club. That, however, is for the school year.
- Summer programming and break day camps can be cost prohibitive to families, $20 per day or $100 per
- week. Although the club provides scholarships for these programs, the scholarship fund is small and
- covers only about 30% of the requests that the club receives. This means that the enriching program
- boys and girls receive during the school year either go away or are significantly
- are significantly reduced. This is the kind of gap that Anne would have loved to bridge. Through the
- Anne St. John Legacy Foundation, I am pleased to announce that the club will be able to take a large
- step forward in making that happen as we are donating $265,000 for their summer
- Thank you. Anne said thank you. Summer and Break Camp Scholarship Fund. We also required the club to
- match the gift, that was Anne's insistence, and they have done so through the generosity of individuals
- in this community, many of whom are in this room. That brings the total available for scholarships to
- over half a million dollars, or $530,000.
- It means parents can go to work or continue their education knowing their children are safe, supported,
- and learning from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. all summer long. It means more kids have access to a place where
- they belong. And it means more young people have the chance to grow up into who they are meant to be.
- This gift will also help us long-term support for scholarships, assuring that this opportunity continues
- for years to come.
- We are proud to carry Anne's legacy forward. Thank you, Anne, and thank you.
- Sorry we didn't put tissues on your tables. It's amazing to see how people believe in kids and want
- to invest in the lives of kids. You've heard it all day today. And on behalf of the Boys and Girls Clubs
- of Bloomington, thank you very much to the Anne St. John Legacy Foundation and their generosity and
- their belief in kids. We're proud to carry Anne's legacy forward, and that legacy lives on in the young
- people that we are serving each and every day.
- And it's my privilege now to introduce you to one of those young people. One of those leaders who I
- have no doubt is going to be standing on one of these stages someday. Jayla is our 2026 Youth of the
- Year, and I'm going to tell you a little bit about her before she comes up and speaks to you all. To
- be named Youth of the Year at the Boys and Girls Club is the highest honor that our organization gives to a kid.
- Open to tween and teen members ages 12 and up, this program teaches interviewing, writing, public speaking,
- and most importantly, finding their voice to tell their own story. Just like Ann St. John helped me
- to do. Like Jodi does in her work each and every day. And like Dana does, full of all kinds of strong
- women in here today. So tonight, we're going to do just that. We're going to give Jayla a platform,
- and she's going to share her speech with us.
- Jayla is a sophomore at Edgewood High School. She's a dedicated student athlete participating in volleyball,
- wrestling, track, and field. Did you hear that? Volleyball, wrestling, track, and field. Proof that
- hard work and perseverance, Jodi, are part of her everyday life. Jayla is an exceptional young leader
- whose character, resilience, and compassion exemplify the mission of the Boys and Girls Club.
- As a Youth of the Year for Monroe County, Jayla represents leadership and action. She's grounded in
- service, integrity, and genuine care for others. She's the oldest of three children in a single-parent
- household, and Jayla has taken on meaningful responsibility at a young age. Her mother works full-time.
- Jayla is consistently modeling maturity, reliability, and empathy while balancing academics, athletics,
- family commitments, and community involvement.
- This year, Jayla also added another milestone, becoming a new driver. So be careful, Jayla's on the
- road now. Just kidding. I've heard she's a very good driver, actually. While navigating the roads and
- learning that parking lots can be surprisingly humbling, Jayla approaches this new independence with
- the same focus, humility, and good humor that she brings to every challenge. For the past six years,
- Jayla has been an active member of the Boys and Girls Club. She is a leader in our Alexville Club, guys.
- She's widely known as a trusted and encouraged friend. She's consistently complimentary to others. She's
- quick to recognize effort, celebrate accomplishments, and build confidence in her peers. She's a great
- supporter. Young members often seek Jayla out, not only for her guidance and support, but because she
- makes people feel valued, welcome, and capable, delivering wisdom alongside with a well-timed laugh.
- Jayla knows how to have a good time.
- Jayla embodies the Boys and Girls Club core values of leadership, inclusion, respect, and service, creating
- a positive environment where everyone is encouraged to succeed. Inspired by the impact the club has
- had on her growth, Jayla hopes to give back by working as a club staff member in the near future. We
- just hired her, so she's going to be working at our Elksville club over the summer. Very excited about that.
- She's going to continue to uplift and mentor and guide the next generation, just like she's had so many
- do for her at the Boys and Girls Club. Jayla's ability to lead and support others and stay grounded
- in gratitude makes her truly deserving of our Youth of the Year. She's a powerful example of kindness
- and confidence and how community comes together to shape tomorrow's leader. So please join me in welcoming
- our 2026 Youth of the Year, Jayla, to the stage at this time.
- Hi, everybody. Hello. Thank you for that lovely introduction. Also, before I start my speech, I would
- like to personally thank Texas Roadhouse, not only for their food, but for the rolls, and especially
- that butter. But as Leslie said, I did grow up in a single-parent household with my mother and two little
- siblings. One of them is here today. Justice right over there. She's so sweet.
- It caused me to definitely step up emotionally as 10 year olds typically don't have to. And I had to
- fill in a role of being a second parent because as Leslie once again said, my mother works full time
- at Boston Scientific. She's over there holding a strawberry phone case. Her table's around here somewhere.
- Hi. Apologies. Now, around 10 years old, I did start coming to the Boys and Girls Club. And at first
- it was very much
- uncomfortable for me, not because the club was in any form or fashion a bad space. It was wonderful.
- But it was very much like going to a friend's house very first time. You know, you're a bit younger.
- You're very nervous. You've never met parents before and they're awesome. Super warm, super welcoming.
- Hi, make yourself at home. You do no such thing. Because why would you do that? You just got there.
- You make sure you know you're very tidy. You make sure not to ask for too much because you know it's
- Your first time, you're very uncomfortable and you're not used to the space yet. That's what the club
- was for me. At first, the club was certainly a bit of an uncomfortable space because I wasn't, I wasn't
- used to not having to take care of somebody else and make sure all their stuff was done on top of my
- own. And I promise I don't cry as much during these things, but I hate heels.
- But the club certainly helped me become more comfortable. And one of those things that helped me become
- more comfortable was the program Smart Girls. It was a very, it was an awesome space. It was a way for
- me to be able to be vulnerable and share my experience as a girl, first time, kind of nervous, and be
- able to ask the older staff questions, be able to ask
- other girls' questions, hear everybody else's stories. And I thought it was super empowering. I thought
- it was wonderful to get to hear all the wonderful things about, you know, how the world works and how
- we have to navigate it as young ladies in our current society. And the staff who got me into Smart Girls
- in particular, her name is Miss Layla. She's not dead, I promise. But, um...
- She overall really helped make the club a more comfortable space for me. She is very well-rounded both
- intellectually and, pardon me, athletically. And an example of athletically, I mean, she could do any
- sport with you, which I thought was also super empowering of the Smart Girls message of being able to
- be whatever the heck you want, like Barbie was saying, maybe in a different outfit.
- I'm being so serious. She could do like basketball with you, wrestling with you. She could do fricking
- ballet if you really wanted to. She had pointe shoes. Hello. If there was also a bar, she'd do... Thank
- you so much, ma'am. But yes, she could do literally anything you wanted to do with her. She'd make sure
- you could do it.
- On the flip side, intellectually, she helped me a lot with math, specifically quadratic equations. Please
- don't ask about those when I get off this podium. I'm going to be really sad. She also helped me a lot
- with Spanish, linguistically more so, because remembering Accent Mars was surprisingly the easy part.
- I highly recommend it. It was very fun. And because of Leila and Smart Girls, I was able to
- you know, be able to take my shoes off at the door and, you know, maybe ask for a little more food at
- that parent's house because I finally was comfortable. And now, apparently I'm so comfortable, I'm now
- working there. Thank you, Leslie, for that confirmation. But thank you all for being here today and
- being able to hear me in here, Miss Dana and Miss Jody, with all these wonderful stories and all these
- wonderful messages. Unfortunately, I didn't make a doll, although that was cool. I'll have to buy one.
- Thank you all for being here. Thank you.
- I told you jail was a lot of fun.
- We got to spend some time last week together. We went to Indy for the Youth of the Year competition.
- So because she was our Bloomington Youth of the Year, we got to go to Indianapolis, and she got to compete
- statewide for the Youth of the Year. She got to hone her presentation skills. Well, she's getting better
- and better at this. The first time she did this, she was extremely nervous. She's still nervous, but
- she's doing really well. And it helps them to figure out how to be themselves. And we've been talking
- about that a lot tonight, how to empower people to be themselves. And it looks a little bit different
- for all of us. And so we're so glad that you're here tonight to celebrate the programs for
- kids, but also to celebrate all of these wonderful people that we're introducing you to this evening.
- And so thank you again, and we're excited to get into the next part of our program. So the end of our
- night, what we always love to do is we're here to raise some money for these awesome programs that we
- have been talking about all night. And so we have some fun ways to do this. We're going to do an auction,
- and we're also going to just do a fund in need where you can just support the club and sponsor kids
- in any way. But I am not an auctioneer, so I am not going to do this by myself. And so I'm going to
- introduce our auctioneer, and he can join me
- this evening. His name is Paul Wyman, and he's the owner of the Wyman Group. He's a firm in north central
- Indiana. He's done this for us for years. He's an actual auctioneer. He's a leader in his region and
- a leader in his profession. He's a president of the Indiana Association of Realtors. He's been honored
- by his peers all over the state of Indiana. He was a recipient of the NARS Good Neighbor Award for his
- work on the opioid crisis. He's an accomplished auctioneer. He's raised
- hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities, and he's, again, done this for us for many years. He
- donates his time so that all the money that we raise can go to kids and families, which we love. And
- Paul is also a United States Air Force veteran, so thank him for his service. Would you thank him for
- his service with me?
- Very proud of our veterans. He served in Operation Desert Shield in 1990. He was honored as Airman of
- the Year and finished his military experience at Grissom Air Force Base in Indiana. He's been awarded
- the Key to the City for Kokomo. He's been the Businessperson of the Year for the Chamber of Commerce.
- He's won, I can't even read all these awards that he's won. He's won many awards. But let's welcome
- up Paul up here to help us get rolling for our evening. I already used your book.
- You sure, bro? Yeah, up to you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right. Well, let's give it up for Leslie.
- How about it? Is she unbelievable? Leslie, you just, you have taken the reins here and it's just off
- the charts. So congratulations. And how about we give Jodi a big hand? Jodi, that was absolutely
- unbelievable. So I had no connection to Jodi before our event this evening. And during her presentation,
- Jodi and I
- I found out have an incredible connection. So she put on the screen a quote from Calvin Coolidge, and
- in my wallet for the last 35 years of my life, laminated is the Calvin Coolidge quote, some want success,
- others must have it. And Jodi, your whole talk was so inspirational. Thank you for being here tonight.
- Let's give her another big hand.
- So listen, today I had the privilege at lunchtime of presenting a grant to the Boys and Girls Club in
- Tipton, Indiana.
- And then I get to drive here to God's country and participate in the Boys and Girls Club event tonight.
- And just like our ladies that spoke earlier when I turned onto College Avenue, oh my gosh, you just
- feel great coming here to Bloomington. And I had this opportunity when you're driving that long to reflect
- on things. And if you're hitting two Boys and Girls Clubs in one day, you can't help but reflect
- on what's happening inside of the walls of these organizations. There are kids in the morning when they
- get up and they're looking in that mirror before they go to school, and some of them are absolutely
- dreading it. Some kids are in really difficult situations. Maybe it's a family situation. Maybe it's
- they're not accepted at school. Maybe they're bullied. They're in some sort of disadvantaged situation.
- and they're nervous about their day. But the one thing I know they have to look forward to is to come
- here in the afternoon and to walk through the doors of a boys and girls club and experience what Jayla
- did and experience that love and that connection and that empowerment and encouragement. And in this
- case today, for smart girls and strong women, look at Jayla as an example.
- Look at the other girls that are coming up through the program and have this incredible shot at life
- because of people like Leslie, the staff, the board, the volunteers. And so I just always encourage
- people when I travel to communities and get to talk, especially when I get to talk about youth, that
- we as leaders in our communities, this is our moment now. This is where we step up and say to folks
- like Leslie, the volunteers and Jayla,
- We're still right here, right along beside you. And this is our moment to contribute and make sure our
- program like this here in Bloomington, Indiana continues for years. So let's raise some money, let's
- have some fun. And we've got a few great auction items. And maybe before we do those, we wanna do a
- little bit of warmup or something. I think we should do a little warmup. Can we get the mic on?
- There we go, okay. There we go. I think we should do a little warmup. Everybody get your bid numbers out.
- All right, everybody got one. Use them as a fan. Yep, good job. All right, so put your bid number up
- if you are a strong woman. Wave at me. Put your bid number up if you are raising a strong woman or raised
- a strong woman. Put your bid number up at me. Put your bid number up if you were influenced by a strong
- woman. Yeah, put your bid number up if you want to support girls in this community and you want to support
- the Boys and Girls Club. Wave at me. All right, okay, I think we're all warmed up. That's all you got
- to do. Just keep those numbers up.
- Keep throwing those numbers up for us. We'll have plenty of opportunity for you to bid tonight. Some
- of these packages you can go in together, and so look around at your friends and say, hey, will you
- throw in 100? I'll throw in 100, and we'll go in on this together. But this will be a lot of fun, and
- we'll do a couple of items tonight, and then we'll get into our sponsoring of children. So thank you
- for what you're about to do. All right, so definitely a couple items that you'll be able to go in with
- with people at your table. And again, remember,
- Tonight, if you are the winning bidder and you really push the limits and bid high, you do not have
- to pay tonight. You can pay throughout the course of the rest of the year, is that correct? So it's
- almost kind of like a pledge you're making tonight and you can make payments as you go. But one thing
- has changed since the last time I was with you all, a national championship. Oh boy.
- I know you all heard me cheering all the way from Kokomo, Indiana. That was a special moment. And so
- our first auction package tonight is gonna be all about this wonderful Hoosier moment that
- we all experienced. The first package is an IU football experience. So you're gonna get to watch IU
- Hoosiers take on the Purdue Boilermakers. By the way, did you know that the toothbrush
- was invented at Purdue University. You know why we know that? Because if it would have been invented
- anywhere else, it would have been called the teeth brush. All right. I took a few seconds for a few
- of you to get there, that's okay. But listen, we're gonna play the Boilermakers on the 28th. Two tickets,
- check this out. Two tickets, section 111,
- Row 21, seats one and two. Not only are you getting two tickets to the Purdue game, you're gonna get
- a pregame access to the stadium where you get to watch the guys warm up, and it's all gonna come along
- with a signed football by Coach Signetti. Two tickets, on the field watching warmups, signed football,
- Coach Signetti.
- This is gonna be a lot of fun, ladies and gentlemen. Here we go. Hey there, say there, what do you get
- there now? Somebody give me $1,000. Anybody got a bit of 1,000, one time, little bit of 1,000? Somebody
- give me $500. Worth that all day, 500 all across the room. I'm taking first 500 over here. I'm gonna
- bid five, now six. Little bit of 600, one time, I'm gonna bid 500, 600. Now $700. Looking for seven,
- now eight. Yep, everybody wait one time, little bit of 800. 800, now nine to nine to nine, one time,
- little bit of 9,000, now $1,000. I got 1,000, now 11. Little bit of 1,000, one time, little bit of 100.
- 100, one time, little bit of 11.
- one time. Got it. Now $1,200. I'm going for $1,200. Anybody going to $1,200? I'm at $1,100 now. Anybody
- else want to come in? $1,200 now. $1,300. A little bit of $1,300 one time. $1,300. I'm at $1,200. You
- can go up one more time. Whoever's on the phone wants to do that for $1,300. $1,300.
- I'm just going to let the bit, oh, I got 13 on this side of the room. Now 14, you're out. Now 1,400,
- come back in a little bit of 14 one time. 1,400, anybody go to the four. I'm at three, now four. Three,
- now four, a little bit of four. Anybody go to 400. 14, now $1,500, a little bit of 15. The football's
- worth that. $1,500, a little bit of 15 one time. $1,500, I've got that now. 16, a little bit of six
- one time. $1,600, anybody go to the six, a little bit of six one time. 1,600, I'm at 15, now 16.
- We've got that now, $1,700. We're on a roll, ladies and gentlemen. This is an auction. Anybody got a
- 17? A little bit of 17 one time. A little bit of 1,700. 17 one time. I'm at 16. There's 17 now, 18.
- Yeah, but that would do eight one time. A little bit of 800 now. 1,800. 18 we've got it. 19. We're gonna
- get to two. We're gonna get to two. 1,900. A little bit of nine to nine to nine one time. A little bit of 1,900.
- One time, there it is, $2,000 now. Anybody going to get a little bit of $2,000 one time? $2,000 now,
- one, $2,100, $2,100. Anybody going to get a little bit of one one time? $2,100. I'm at $2,000.
- I'm at $2,000. Anybody? Oh, is that a bid? You, okay. I just want to be clear. At a $2,000 bid, that
- was the time you chose to wave to your friend across the room. That was the moment.
- All right, I'm at $2,000. You sure you don't want $2,100? Anybody else? I'm going once at $2,000. Anybody
- else now? $2,000 going twice. Sold for $2,000. Brian, you're not going to believe this, but we can match
- another package just like that if you're interested.
- Sold $2,000. 2-2. Bitter $3.56. Ladies and gentlemen, that's $4,000 right there, ladies and gentlemen.
- Absolutely wonderful. All right. The generosity is rolling. All right. We have one more IU football
- experience. You're going to get two tickets. Row 30.
- Section 7, no stairs, straight to the 50-yard line, ladies and gentlemen. This is going to be on September
- 19th against Western Kentucky. You will also get pregame access to the stadium and be able to watch
- the guys warm up. So you're sitting on the 50-yard line, you're going straight there, you're going to
- get access to the field before the game, and you're going to get to see
- whatever they do in Western Kentucky. All right, here we go, ladies and gentlemen. Somebody give me
- $500. Anybody gonna file a little bit of $500? 50-yard line, $500 to sit on the 50-yard line. See your
- championship Hoosiers.
- 500, I'm going to be five now, 600. Anybody go to six, a little bit of six one time, $600. Anybody go
- to six, 500 now six. Looking for $600. Anybody going to go 600, 600 now $700. Little bit of seven one
- time, little bit of seven one time, 650. How about 650? Come back in at $650. Anybody going to go seven
- one time, little bit of 700 one time, anybody go to seven. How about 650? Somebody come in at 650. 50
- yard line, pregame.
- Can I bid as the auctioneer? Because I would love that. I feel like this is too cheap. I'm going to
- take $700. $700 for the auctioneer. I'm coming back to Bloomington, baby. $700. Anybody else? Now, don't
- be trying to run me up back there. Now, I know what's about to happen. I know what's about to happen.
- All right. I'm at $7. Anybody going to go $50? $7. I'll have it. I'm going to have a little bit. I'll
- have one time. Looking for $750. I'm at $700. Look at her. $750.
- All right, I know it's going to go 750 now 800 anybody going away. Yeah, but every one time look over
- $800 anybody going to wait 800 $800 750 over here going once anybody else come back in at 800 just money
- Paul. What's that? Just money you want to do 800 800 850 850 900 950. Boom.
- Thousand. Thousand for you? Thousand. This is becoming an expensive trip to Bloomington all of a sudden.
- I'm going once at $9.50. I know she wants it. I'm going twice. Anybody else at $1,000? Sold $950. Congratulations.
- All right, ladies and gentlemen, this next one is going to be a fun family lake day experience. So we
- got warm weather coming up, an exciting day on the lake. Here's what you're going to get for the day
- on the lake. A 24-foot pontoon boat rental for you and nine of your closest friends or family. So 10
- of you total. Towels, totes, and a
- that's like a big-time cooler, all donated by German American Bank. And that's going to help keep your
- drinks nice and cold for the day when you're on the pontoon boat. So all that's covered. Raise your
- paddles for some summer fun, ladies and gentlemen. It's you and nine others, 10 total on the boat.
- For a day, somebody give me 500, anybody give me 500, 500, 600, 700, 700, 800, 800, now $1,000.
- $1,000, 10 people, 100 a person at this moment. 10 people, there's 1,000, now 1,100. Anybody got $11,
- 11 at one time, 11, 1,100, look over 100, 100, 100 more, 100 more, another $1,000, look over 11, anybody
- got 11 at one time? We're at 1,000, anybody else you want back here for 10, 50? This is a hair over
- 100 a person. There's 10, 50 right there, 10, 50, now 1,100. Anybody got $11, 11 at one time,
- anybody 11, give me 100,
- 1,100, anybody gonna go? There's 1,100, now 12. 1,100, now 12, anybody 12? Anybody 12 one time? Looking
- for $1,200. 1,200, I'm going once at 1,100. I'm going twice at 1,100. Last chance. I'm sold right here
- for $1,100. Great purchase. Bitter number. Bitter number.
- 312, that's absolutely awesome, thank you. All right, so look, it's summertime, the students are gonna
- be gone, and so we're gonna create this little staycation right here in Bloomington, Indiana. We've
- put together the best Bloomington overnight experience for you. You get shopping at Lola and Company,
- dinner at Janco's for their delicious steak dinner, drinks at the Dunkirk Library,
- Bloomington's newest speakeasy, and you're gonna get some cool custom cocktails there. You're also gonna
- get an overnight stay at the Posh Hotel. It's a five-star 45-room boutique hotel right here on Kirkwood
- Avenue. So grab your favorite friend, let's raise your paddle tonight, and let's make it a great girls'
- night out in Bloomington.
- or a guy's night or however you want to do it. We don't really care who you take. We just want you to
- bid high. So here we go. Somebody give me $1,000 right there. I'm going to bid $1,000, $1,000, now $1,100.
- Anybody going to $1,100, I'm going to bid $1,100 one more time. Anybody going to $1,100, I'm going to
- $1,000. Look over $11. Anybody going to go $11 one time? $1,000. How about $10.50? Anybody want to go
- $10.50? Looks like you're going to be getting yourself a nice staycation here. $1,100. Anybody else
- come back in? It's a beautiful night in Bloomington.
- I'm going once at $1,000. Anybody else? I'm going twice at $1,000. Great purchase, sold, $1,000. Give
- her a hand. Yeah, bitter number, hold up your bitter number one more time. Bitter number 338. All right,
- this is one where you're definitely, your table can all go in together. And if you're a foodie, this
- is gonna be for you. Tony Mossman, am I saying his name right?
- Moseman, Tony Moseman, is an experienced chef in our community, and he's gonna be whipping up six courses.
- She, yeah, how about that? She, smart girls, strong women, she chef, she chef, in the community, and
- she's gonna be whipping up six courses, complete with drink pairings. This is for up to 10 people,
- all right? So check this out, six to 10, you pick.
- Sometime in the next four months you're gonna book this with Toni. Here's what she's gonna be doing.
- She's gonna have an assortment of deviled eggs and she's gonna pair them with some champagne. There's
- gonna be like jalapeno poppers, loaded egg bites, dirty martinis, citrus salad paired with Sauvignon
- Blanc, Spanish seafood paella paired with Blanco wine, flan, vanilla or cinnamon for dessert.
- This is gonna be at Tony's home. And you guys know Tony, she's a famous chef. She's been a huge supporter
- of the Boys and Girls Club. And this is a sample menu. My gut tells me since she's a chef, if your group
- really wants something special, oh, she'll come to your house. She'll travel. She will travel to your
- home, up to 10 people. So I hope you're talking amongst yourselves for your group of 10.
- Here we go, a special night, your own private chef, your own private party.
- Who's giving me $1,000 to start out the gate? A little bit of $1,000 on a private party for 10 people.
- I got $1,000 right here, $1,100, now $1,200. $1,100, now $1,200. A little bit of $1,200. $1,200.
- I got $1,200. Now $1,300. $1,400. A little bit of $1,400. Anybody got a $1,400? I'm at $1,300. Now $1,400.
- I'm at $1,400. Anybody got a $1,400? Got $1,400. $1,400. $1,400. $1,400. $1,400. $1,400. $1,400. $1,400.
- $1,400. $1,400. $1,400. $1,400. $1,400. $1,400. $1,400. $1,400. $1,
- Come back in, man, for 1,700.
- There's 17 in the middle of the room. Now, 18. Yeah, but wait one time. 1,800. Now, 19. $2,000 bid.
- Now, 21. Now, 22. Looking for 2. Anybody going to go 2? A little bit of 2. One time. Looking for 2,200.
- I'm at 21 in the middle of the room. Now, 22. There's 2. Now, 3. 2, now 3. Now, 4. 3, now 4. A little
- bit of 4. Anybody going to go 400? I'm at 300 in the middle of the room. 2,400. Anybody going to go
- 4? A little bit of 4. One time. Looking for 400. There it is. Now, 5. $2,500. Anybody to 5? Now, 6.
- How about 600? 2,600. Now, 7.
- A little bit of seven one time. A little bit of seven seven is heaven. There it is now. You have a little
- bit of eight one time. Look over 800. Look over 2,800. I'm at seven now. 27 now, eight. Anybody got
- an eight? A little bit of eight one time. There's 800 now. $2,900. A little bit of nine. Anybody do
- 900? 29 one time. There it is. Let's get to three. $3,000. Anybody got a three? You'll be a hero.
- There's $3,000! Whoo! Hey, when you get the 4,000, they're gonna cheer just as loud for you, so you're okay.
- All right, here we go. 3,100, come back in at 3,100. There's one, now two. One, now two, a little bit
- of two. Anybody with 200, 3,200, 32, you're out. Come back in, 32. Now 33, 33 one time, little bit of
- three. Anybody got a 300? Now four, 3,400, little bit of four. Anybody 400? Sir, you're welcome back
- in at any time. 400, $3,400. Now 500, 35, little bit of five. We got five, now 600. Let her have an
- opportunity to get a cheer, please. 3,600, get her to four. 3,600.
- 36, now 37, 37, 3,800, we're almost there, a little bit eight, one time, you have a little bit eight,
- $3,800, one time, you almost have it there, sir, do you wanna help her get there? $3,800, 38, anybody
- in the way, you have a little bit eight, one time, $3,800, 10 people, we're at 3,700, there's 38, now
- nine to nine to nine, one time, just go right to four, you wanna go right to four? Four.
- $4,000, ladies and gentlemen. How about a bit, four, now one. Four, now one, little bit of one. Anybody
- got a 100, one time? Anybody got a 100? $4,100. Do you want to get the five? That's $4,100. She wants
- to cheer at $5,000. $4,200, little bit of $4,200. Anybody have two, one time? $4,200. Now three, $4,300.
- There's three, now four. Three, now four, little bit of four. Anybody got a 400? 400, one time. 400,
- $4,400. Now five.
- Now 500, 45 one time, little bit of 45 hundred, you're in this now, you're invested. 45 hundred,
- now six. 45, now six, little bit of six, anybody got a 600 one time? 4,600, 10 people, we're still at
- a discount, $4,600. Did I mention deviled eggs? We're at 4,600 for you, special for you, 4,600.
- Little bit of six, one time, 600, 46, got it. Now $4,700. Little bit of seven, anybody got a seven?
- Little bit of seven, 100, one time, 700. You're out, you're out. Come back in, $4,700. I'm at 46, sir.
- You want to come back in, 4,700? All right, 4,600. Okay, pay attention to this part now. Going once at 4,600.
- 4,700. I'm going to 7 now, hey, you have to wait one time, don't let her have it like that. $4,800.
- I'm going to go eat a little bit at one time. 847, 4,848. All right, I want to try this again. Hey,
- Paul, I got a deal. If both of you would give $5,000, I'll get you each a dinner with Tony. Oh! Oh!
- Alison's in. Don, are you in?
- Wow! Whoo! Don't tell Tony what I just did. I gotta ask her still, but she's good for it. That citrus
- salad is gonna taste special. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Hey, it's gonna be special. I'll tell
- Bill, don't worry. Oh, yeah.
- Where are these bitter numbers on that? What's your bitter, fan her off. She is like, yes, 413. What's
- your bitter number, ma'am? Allison, bid number. What's your bitter number, Allison? 411, 411.
- Thank you, thank you, thank you. Give them one more hand, ladies and gentlemen. All righty, this is
- our last auction item here, ladies and gentlemen, and it's for women basketball enthusiasts.
- You're gonna get four tickets to go watch powerhouse Caitlin Clark and the Fever. Four Fever tickets.
- You get to go see Caitlin at Game Bridge Stadium. If that's not enough, then we're gonna bring you back
- to Bloomington to watch IU women's basketball team on their home court. They haven't announced the season
- yet, but you're gonna get four incredible tickets to IU women's basketball late December. Two seats
- are on the court.
- and then two seats are close by. We're talking like the red chairs and two regular seats will be at
- center court. So a couple red chairs on the court, couple other seats at center court. All of them will
- be in section K row five and you're gonna get parking included in this. So let's go, come on, watch
- Coach Terry Morin. She's gonna throw in a signed basketball, a fever swag bag, and a signed fever t-shirt.
- Signed shirts. Courtside tickets for IU. Caitlin Clark in Indianapolis. That's a fun night, ladies and
- gentlemen. Probably a fun couple weeks time period. Somebody give me a thousand like that to go see
- Caitlin. $1,000 and then come back and watch IU women's basketball.
- How about 5, there's a thousand right there, I'll take that bid. $1,000, I'm at $1,000, now $1,100.
- Anybody go $1,100, $1,100, $1,100. Got it, now $1,200. Little bit of $1,200, anybody go to $1,200.
- Now $13, $13, now $14, sir. Little bit of $14, one time, anybody go to $14. $14, now $1,500. Look over
- at $15, anybody at $15. $16, now $17. $17, now $18. $1,800, there it is now. $19, little bit of $19,
- now $2,000. Now $21.
- 2,000, now 21, sir. A little bit of one, one time. Anybody got a 100? I got it now, $2,200. A little
- bit of two, anybody got a 200? 2,200. You guys can go together. I take your 2,200. Now three, 2,300.
- A little bit of three, now four. $2,400. 25, sir. A little bit of five, one time. Anybody got a 500?
- Now 600. Got six, now 700. A little bit of seven, anybody got a $700? One time, 800. Yeah, but W-8,
- one time. 800, 2,800. The Red Seats, 2,800.
- You too would look fantastic in the red seats. You really would, $2,800. There it is, now nine, little
- bit of nine, nine to nine to nine. You would look fantastic in the red seat too, sir. I just want you
- to know that. 2,900, now $3,000, little bit of three, little bit of 3,000, now one. 31 one time, little
- bit of one, little bit of 100, now $200, 3,200. I'm at 31 in the back, now 32. You want to come back
- in at 3,200. I'm at 31, now two, one, now two, little bit of two, anybody go to two. Going once at $3,100.
- We're going twice at 3,100. Last chance, ma'am. I've sold right back here $3,100 to bidder number 407.
- Folks, that was incredible generosity. Give yourselves a big hand one more time, please.
- All right, we have one more thing tonight. That was a ton of fun. Thank you all so much for your generosity.
- I don't even have to get the total, but I know that was the best auction we have ever had. So give yourselves
- a round of applause. Awesome, awesome, awesome.
- And so we've talked all night that it's 20 bucks a year to come to the Boys and Girls Club and we got
- a really awesome sponsorship for our summer programs, but we need your help for after school programs.
- It costs us 750 bucks to run an after school program and we're charging $20. Lots of those parents ante
- in a little more if they can, but really we rely on community members like you. So tonight we're just
- going to ask you to sponsor kids. So our goal tonight
- is sponsoring 80 kids at $750 a kid. And I think we can do it. Last year we sponsored 76, so definitely
- we can go over the top of that this year. And I can tell you that we've had record goals at this night
- already, and so I feel really good about this evening and how we're gonna do this. So thank you ahead
- of time, what we're going to do. And remember, you can pledge. You don't have to pay before you walk
- out tonight. This is a pledge. You can make monthly payments for the next 12 months, whatever you'd
- like to do. You can wait till the end of the year, but we want you to ante in
- kids. And so when you say yes to sponsoring five kids or yes to sponsoring ten kids, you don't have
- to walk out of here and pay that tonight. So we want you to be able to do what it is that you would
- like to do to support kids and families tonight. So that's how we're going to end the evening. And Paul,
- I know you have one question you always want to ask. Yeah, like this room is hot right now. So like
- I'm going to ask this question. 80 kids is 60 grand. Who wants to do it? Just takes one of you 60 grand
- and we're going for the dessert table right now. 60 grand one time.
- All right, time to ask, all right. Here we go. Someday somebody's gonna do that. Someday somebody's
- gonna raise their hand. That's gonna be an exciting moment. All right, let's go to the first level we're
- gonna start at tonight, ladies and gentlemen. This is a chance to sponsor 15 kids. It's a big ask, but
- it's a special ask. It's a special ask based on everything you've been seeing and hearing tonight.
- about this incredible program. If there's anybody in here or more than one person that would like to
- sponsor 15 kids, that would be $11,250 to take care of 15 kids. Is there anybody that would like to
- do that tonight? $11,250. One sponsor gets us well on the way to those 80 kids tonight.
- Paul, we actually have an anonymous donor who's going to sponsor 15 kids and start us off at $11,250
- tonight. How about that, ladies and gentlemen? Anybody want to match that? All right. Well, we are well
- on our way. What a generous, we'll take that and we'll call that a phone in bid from an anonymous sponsor.
- Absolutely love it.
- Okay, let's go to our next level, which is 10 kids for $7,500. Is there anybody that would like to take
- care of 10 kids this year? Raise your paddle, 10 kids, right here. Bidder number 365. Let's get a round
- of applause folks, thank you so much. 365, incredible, thank you. Anybody else like to do 10 kids?
- Right here, bidder number 376, thank you.
- Ma'am, you make sure Allison takes you to that dinner. You know what I'm saying? Like, that was generous.
- Thank you. Anybody else is $7,500. Thank you both. Give them one more hand. That's incredible. Okay,
- how about five kids for $3,750. You can take care of five kids
- with a bid. Right here, bidder number 374. 374. Who else for five kids? Five kids, $3,750. Okay, give
- her a hand. Thank you very much.
- Okay, we are gonna move on to four kids for $3,000 even. Just need two people to say yes to this to
- stay on course for our goal here. $3,000 for kids who'd like to take care of four kids. Right here,
- bidder number 303. 303. One more?
- 303, did you get that? Thank you. Anybody else? Thank you very much, ma'am, appreciate that. Okay, let's
- move down to three kids for $2,250. $2,000, here we go, bidder number 317. Thank you, round of applause,
- 309, thank you. Bidder number 309. Fantastic, thank you. Anybody else?
- at the $2,250 level. Three kids. Thank you very much, both of you. Thank you. Next level, two kids,
- $1,500. Who would like to take care of $1,500? Here we go. Hold them up high for me. Hold them up. Bidder
- number 348. Thank you. Bidder number 325. Thank you.
- Bidder number 385, thank you. Bidder number 302, thank you. Bidder number 388, thank you. Bidder number
- 334, thank you. Anybody else at the 1500 level? Right here, bidder number 362, thank you very much.
- Appreciate that, give them all a round of applause.
- All right, one kid, one jailer. You sponsor one kid and look, we get a jailer, right? So here we go,
- $750. You're taking care of a kid all year long here at the center. Here we go. Bidder number 304,
- thank you. Bidder number 359, thank you. Bidder 448, thank you.
- Bidder 344, thank you. Thank you, thank you. Bidder 351, thank you. Thank you so much. Bidder 405,
- thank you. Thank you. Bidder 326, thank you. Thank you. Bidder 311, thank you. Thank you. Bidder 307,
- thank you. Thank you, thank you.
- Bitter 329, thank you. Bitter 441, thank you. Bitter 342, thank you. Bitter 445, thank you. Bitter 400,
- thank you. Bitter 346, thank you. Bitter 371, thank you.
- Bidder 426. Thank you. Thank you. Anybody else? One kid. Bidder 401. Thank you. Anybody else? 418. 418.
- Thank you. Thank you. Anybody else? Sneak on in. You're welcome. Come on in. The water is fine. Give
- everybody a hand for that round. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So awesome.
- All right, we're gonna give you just a few more opportunities here. If you would like to donate $500,
- raise your paddle for a $500 donation. Right here, bidder number 355. Thank you. Thank you so much.
- Thank you. Anybody else? $500. All right, let's go to 250. Anybody like to donate 250 to the club tonight?
- Here we go. I love this. Bidder three, two, one. Jody, thank you.
- Bidder 364, thank you. Bidder 419, thank you. Bidder 433, thank you. Bidder 422, thank you.
- Thank you. Bidder 357, thank you. Thank you, thank you. Bidder 459, thank you. Thank you. Bidder 409,
- thank you. Thanks, Megan. Bidder 461, thank you. Anybody else at the 250 level? Awesome. Give them all
- a big hand, please. Thank you so much. Thank you so much.
- All right. Last two chances. If you'd like to make a hundred dollar donation tonight, raise your paddle.
- One hundred dollars. Here we go. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Oh, I love this. We're starting over
- here. Three, three, six. Thank you. Thank you. Three, nine, one. Thank you. Thank you. Three, three,
- zero. Thank you. Thank you. Four, zero, eight. Thank you. Four, two, nine. Thank you.
- 449 thank you. 392 thank you. 437 thank you. 310 thank you. 331 thank you. 360 thank you. 328 thank
- you. 343 thank you.
- Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- Thank you. 425, thank you. Thank you. 387, thank you. Thank you. 305, thank you. Awesome, thank you.
- 306, thank you. Thanks, Gracie. 367, thank you. Thank you. 354, thank you. Thank you. Good job, Justin.
- And 381, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Anybody else at the 100? Give them all a big hand.
- Awesome, awesome. Thank you so much.
- That's awesome. And our last shot, $50. Raise your paddle if you'd like to donate $50. Here we go. Thank
- you so much. Bidder 386. Thank you. Thank you. Bidder 340, thank you. Wonderful, thank you. Bidder 363,
- thank you. Thank you. Bidder 380, thank you. Bidder 437, thank you. Thank you, thank you. Bidder 398,
- thank you.
- Give them all a hand, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you so much. Folks, the generosity in this room tonight
- was unbelievable. Thank you for making this auction incredible. God bless you all. Keep doing great things.
- Awesome, awesome. Thank you so much. What an exciting night. I know they're frantically totaling so
- we can tell you how much that we've raised. But before we end the evening, I just got to do some thank
- yous. Darcy, Rebecca, Kate, wave at me. These are awesome staff. We have some amazing staff that run
- our clubs and put on these awesome events.
- They do a ton of work behind the scenes, and we cannot do it without you. You all know it takes a team.
- All of you work with teams, and they're fantastic. The best there is. If you're a Boys and Girls Club
- staff, wave at me. Any staff in the audience, wave at me. Let's get a round of applause for our staff.
- Got all our great staff here. Huge thank you. Thank you to Miss Latonya for hosting us at the Ferguson
- Cresmont Club. We appreciate you, ma'am. Thank you so much.
- All right. For those of you that bid tonight, on your tables there are pens and underneath those pens
- there are express checkout forms. They're upside down. You can turn them over and pass them around.
- But if you do not want to get stuck in line tonight making payments at the checkout tables, you can
- fill out those express checkout forms and you can drop them in that table back there by the water bottles
- and the sign back by that door. You are welcome to pay this evening. We are ready to take
- Take any payments you would like to make at the checkout tables where you checked in, but you do not
- need to pay tonight. If you want to make a pledge, we will invoice you. We will talk to you about your
- payment options later. Go ahead and fill out those express checkout forms before you leave tonight,
- and that'll make it as convenient as we can make it for you. All right. As you're doing that, you can
- pull your raffle tickets out, because we are going to draw some raffle winners. And... All right.
- Dana, you want to help me draw some raffle winners up here? I think we should get Dana's sparkly jacket
- up here to draw the raffle winners up. Come on up here, Dana. All right, everybody has their blue tickets.
- Are you ready? We're going to draw out some raffles. So the first one that we are going to draw is a
- Citizen Watch, valued at $250, donated by board member Lori Todd. So thank you. This will be an awesome
- raffle prize. Dana, come read us our ticket. Seven, five, nine.
- 0-3-0. We got a winner. Kate's going to run you out your watch. All right. The next one we have is a
- lovely gift basket from Oliver Winery. They sponsored our bar tonight and they threw in this basket
- for us. So who is the lucky winner, Dana? Very nice. We have 7-5-9-1-5-4. Who is it? 7-5-9-1-5-4.
- Love it. Hey, you'll have a nice gift, Natty. All right, the third raffle item is an IU football signed
- by Khalil Benson, number 67. Yep, right tackle of the Hoosiers. He's at Chiefs mini camp right now,
- so we're sending him all of our prayers and blessings, but we're excited about Khalil, so let's see
- who wins this ball. All right, we've got seven, five, nine, two, two, five.
- Oh yeah, your boys are gonna love that, Carmen. His boys are club kids, so they're gonna really appreciate
- that ball, aren't they? Awesome. All right, we have a signed book from our keynote speaker, Jody Norgaard,
- more than a doll. Let's have a round of applause for Jody one more time. And then let's see who gets
- this book, Dana. All right, we've got 759153. Who is it? Lucky winner. 759153, that table is lucky.
- I love it all right and then our last raffle prize of the night is a signed basketball from our IU basketball
- coach DeVries let's see who gets the signed basketball all right we've got seven five nine zero zero
- nine all right congrats
- All right, thanks Dana. We're doing some quick math on our totals. Okay, are you ready to hear how much
- we raised tonight? We can celebrate before I tell you, but we know it's gonna be a good one. Our auction
- raised $20,000. Awesome. Our fund to need raised $70,000. Which means we sponsored 92 kids tonight.
- The goal for the whole evening with sponsors and everything combined was $110,000 and we raised $125,600.
- I am always so in awe at this community and the way you say yes to kids. Thank you so much for being
- here. Thank you so much for supporting kids and thank you for a wonderful evening. Have a lovely night
- everybody. Good night.