Photo courtesy of the band.
Eli Young Band to headline fundraiser for Big Brothers, Big Sisters
Country music sensation the Eli Young Band will headline an important fundraiser for an important nonprofit in the Permian Basin. Tickets are now on sale here.
Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Permian Basin (BBBS), part of the national organization that matches a volunteer adult mentor with a child, is inviting the region to its Wildcatters Ball, which will take place Oct. 8 at 6:30 p.m. at the Rolling 7’s Ranch Event Center in Midland. Opening for the Eli Young Band will be popular local band the Electric Gypsies.
“It’s not your standard gala; this is a boots and jeans type event,” said Kay Crites, executive director of BBBS.
Along with live music, the event will feature games such as the “Winey, Whiskey and Whatever Ring Toss,” where if the ring you toss lands over the bottle, you win the bottle. There will also be a cornhole tournament, gourmet smores out by the campfire, a silent auction and a chance to win a “bucket-list” trip from AmFund.
The silent auction features “some really great stuff,” said Crites, such as jewelry from Cathy Eastham, well known locally for both her jewelry and philanthropic nature.
General tickets cost $100 and includes complementary wine and beer plus the entertainment, with a small charge to play the games. There will also be food trucks on site. Aside from individual tickets, a wide range of sponsorship opportunities are offered that include extra perks at the event.
Big Brothers, Big Sisters is aiming to raise $200,000 at the Wildcatters Ball to bolster its programs that provide unique support for children of the Permian Basin.
“We’ve come close to that fundraising goal before but we have never hit that goal,” Crites said. “Those funds will be used to find more mentors to match with children in this community who need a little additional support in their lives.”
Fund will be used to run background checks on volunteers, for training, interviews and outreach to let parents know about the program, Crites added.
Big Brothers, Big Sisters is the only mentoring organization in the nation that matches one child with one adult. Following the pandemic that prompted people to isolate themselves for their safety, the nonprofit is in dire need of volunteers, with a waitlist of children needing mentors ballooning to 100.
“We see significant change in these children when they have one person they depend on, can talk to, who encourages them and provides some support they are otherwise not getting,” Crites said, noting children often come from low-income households with parents working multiple jobs, a condition worsened by ongoing inflation.
