Boys & Girls Club Of Boone County Thanksgiving Day

Press release from Zionsville Chamber of Commerce

12/4/2020

Boys & Girls Club of Boone County Thanksgiving Day
Annual ZGravy Chase a success for fourth year
Planning team looks to 2021 and potential Lebanon run/walk route

Zionsville, Ind.—Dec. 4, 2020—COVID-19 may have put a damper on the annual ZGravy Chase run/walk on Main Street in Zionsville, but the Boys & Girls Club of Boone County donors, event sponsors and supporters didn’t let it stop this fun, family event on Thanksgiving Day.

Over 1,600 people registered for the 2020 ZGravy Chase, which included nine Boone County neighborhood teams. Runners and walkers spanned the generations from Generation Alpha 8-month-old Henry Grimm to GI Generation 88-year-old Bernard Huesing. Participants joined from 15 states and seven Indiana counties.

“This year has been one we’d all love to forget but always will remember. This year’s ZGravy Chase is particularly memorable,” says Rob Schein, Boys & Girls Club of Boone County board chair. “On Thanksgiving Day, we saw people safely distanced walking the traditional Main Street route. We saw teams taking walks on the Zionsville rail trail. And there were a lot of people walking in their neighborhoods. The support and enthusiasm from the community, our Ambassadors, and sponsors is appreciated and will always be remembered.”

The 2020 ZGravy Chase Presenting Sponsor is Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and Gold Sponsors are Kite Harris, Holladay Farms and Duke Energy.

Expect the event to return to Zionsville’s Main Street in 2021 with the potential to add a second walk/run route in Lebanon.

About the Boys & Girls Club of Boone County
Prior to COVID-19, the Boys & Girls Club of Boone County–Lebanon, Whitestown and Zionsville Units–served 450 members daily and 3,000 total members. The Club offers before- and after-school programming with transportation to and from community schools. In addition to daily school programming, community members have access to participate in sports leagues, summer camps and events. Staff at the Lebanon Unit support food insufficiency needs by feeding an average of 100 children five days a week. Without these meals provided by the Club staff, most of the children would go without a meal until the next day.

The Boys & Girls Club of Boone County’s Emergency Meal Program, established in mid-March 2020, became an essential program in Boone County. When county schools moved to eLearning and the statewide shelter in place order was issued, staff and volunteers served a total 18,867 meals drive-through style to any community member in need. The program operated from March 16 until July 2 or 16 weeks/76 days supported by 2,160 volunteer hours. During the month of July, BGC Boone County staff distributed cook-at-home meals twice a week serving an additional 2,473 meals.
The mission of the Boys & Girls Club of Boone County is to enable all area youth, to develop the skills, fitness, and character they need to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. The vision is to provide Boone County youth a world-class experience that assures success is within reach for everyone who enters our doors, with all members on track to graduate from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and living a healthy lifestyle.

This press release was produced by the Zionsville Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed are the author's own.