In 2018, Golden West Broadcasting and The Family Place teamed to launch something new: 50/50 for Kids.
When the annual fundraiser first launched, The Family Place didn’t have a plan on what to do with the funds.
"Having this extra money at the end of this 50/50 is just going to be a huge bonus for The Family Place and just make us feel secure, and it's a great thing to feel like we are self-sustainable and not struggling month to month to keep our doors open," shared Gutzke in 2018. "It's just really comforting knowing the support from this community is ongoing and to know that we have everyone behind us. It gives us strength and it gives us encouragement to keep going, to keep doing what we're doing."
Just a few weeks later, however, they were completely overwhelmed by the support as tens of thousands of dollars began to pour in.
"We haven't pinpointed it down exactly yet , but we're really looking forward to seeing the total and to see where it could go towards," said Gutzke. "Upgrading, maybe some things we have going on here at The Family Place, and just truly helping us keep our doors open."
Upgrade they did. Over the years, 50/50 for Kids has brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars, helping The Family Place to grow and expand their programming, as well as their building.
“The 50/50 for Kids money has truly helped us grow to where we are today,” said Gutzke. “We’re at a brand new facility at 744 McLelland Street. It’s been our dream to be able to get into a newer center with a green space, and 50/50 for Kids has really helped us grow to be able to get to where we are today. It’s been a huge factor in really who we are and has helped us put some savings away. It also bought us new play equipment for our playrooms, helped us with some programming costs. It really has filled the gap for us for many years and helped us grow.”
This year, however, was set to be the final year that Golden West and The Family Place teamed up for the big event. After bringing in a total of $23,440 and awarding half of it to this year’s winner, Gutzke had one last big announcement.
“I think that 50/50 for Kids alongside the radio station, the whole fundraiser in general has made a name for itself in the community,” she said. “So we’re going to tackle it by ourselves next year and just carry on the tradition of doing 50/50 for Kids annually.”
While it could look a bit different next year, The Family Place is excited to continue the promotion and continue its success.
“It was super fun,” Gutzke added, reflecting on eight years’ worth of 50/50’s. “Thanks to everyone who bought tickets, and a big thank you to our local radio station crew for doing this fundraiser for us for many, many years. It’s really made a huge impact in our mission and The Family Place, and we just appreciate it so much.”