Burdick’s Restaurant to Host Benefit for YMCA
“Reach Out to Youth” a Week From Wednesday
Burdick’s Restaurant in Walpole will host a benefit dinner for Meeting Waters YMCA’s “Reach Out to Youth Fund” on Wednesday, May 27th. That night, co-owners Paula and Larry Burdick will donate 10% of all dinner receipts to the regional YMCA.
The Burdick’s two children have both been involved in Meeting Waters YMCA programs. Both have attended the regional YMCA’s Lewis Day Camp, a program that their son Jake will serve on the staff of for the third time this summer. He has also participated for the past four years in the YMCA Youth & Government program, a partnership between Meeting Waters YMCA and Fall Mountain Regional High School.
The funds raised through the Reach Out to Youth appeal and the event at Burdick’s help ensure that all children have access to Meeting Waters YMCA programs. Specifically, donations support the regional Y’s youth scholarship fund and the its summer camp bussing program. Contributions to last year’s Reach Out to Youth Fund were part of the support system that resulted in area families and children benefiting from $200,276 in financial assistance and subsidized services.
As Meeting Waters YMCA Executive Director Steve Fortier explains, “Our camp fees are among the lowest in the region yet, uniquely, we run three busses each day for eight weeks to our Lewis Day Camp and Adventure Camps from Bellows Falls, Westminster, Saxtons River, Walpole, Drewsville, Alstead, Langdon, Charlestown and four other NH and VT communities. Our busses will drive over 15,000 miles to deliver a total of more than 300 children to and from camp this summer… at a cost of around $30,000! We cannot possibly ask camp parents—more than 50% of whom receive some financial assistance—to bear the burden of this expense. We need help to fill this gap. We’re thankful for the generosity of those who have stepped up—including Larry and Paula.” He adds, “At this event, people will enjoy a great meal… for a great cause.”
Reservations for Wednesday’s benefit dinner can be made by calling The Restaurant at Burdick Chocolate at 603-756-9058. More information about Meeting Waters YMCA Reach Out to Youth Campaign is available at their website at www.meetingwatersymca.org or by calling their office nearest you—Brattleboro: (802) 246-1036; Bellows Falls: (802) 463-4769; or Springfield: (802) 885-8131.
The Meeting Waters YMCA is a charitable, social service organization founded in 1895. Its programs take place at its facility in Bellows Falls, camp property in Springfield, and satellite sites in Langdon, Brattleboro, Chester and other communities.