While the campaign to “Start the Bus” fell short of the goal mark, the Boys & Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County is confident they will obtain the funds to operate the transportation program.

“We did not reach the $25,000 goal. However, we are sitting at $14,500,” said Elizabeth Williams, Resource Development and Marketing Director for the Club. “We are not in danger of not being able to run that program this year. To get almost $15,000 out of the $25,000 is a huge step.”

“We have had such tremendous support from the community,” she added.

The Club’s transportation program allows the Club to pick up children from 11 city and county schools to participate in Club after-school activities. If it were not for the buses that run daily to pick children up at the schools and bring them to the Club, many of the children served by the Club’s programs would not be able to participate, according to Williams.

In addition to picking children up for the after-school programs at the Club, during the summer months the transportation program also takes kids on more than 100 field trips.

The Start the Bus campaign came to a close on Dec. 31, but the Club’s fundraising efforts continue.

“We are transitioning out of that campaign, so we won’t be asking people to help with Start the Bus per se,” Williams explained.

At this point in the year, the Club is moving into its corporate attraction and Building Better Futures fundraising initiatives, which are geared more to garnering overall support for the Club as opposed to a campaign targeted to one specific program or service. Williams said some of the money donated during these initiatives would go to support the transportation program.

The Club is still accepting individual, business, civic organization donations to help support all of the programs provided by the Club to its members.

“We would love for people to stop by the Club,” Williams said. “It looks different than it ever has before and there have been a number of updates.”

Anyone wishing to learn more about the program opportunities available or the operation of the Club can contact the Club for a tour to see what their donations will go to support.

Donors can choose to have their gift go toward general operations, or they can earmark it for a specific program if they would like, Williams said.

“When anyone wants to support the Club and they want their donation to go to a specific thing we consider those restricted gifts,” Williams said, adding those funds are then used only to support the program chosen by the donor.

Those interested in making a donation can do so in two different ways. Donations can be mailed or dropped off at The Boys & Girls Club, 104 Hudson Drive, Elizabethton, TN 37643. Donations can also be made online at www.bgcecc.org by clicking on the green “DONATE” button. All donations to the Club are tax deductible.