Submitted Photo The Boys and Girls Club of Northern Chautauqua County will hold a celebration dinner for alumni on Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Route 5 Event Center in Dunkirk.

There is no better way to celebrate a community staple’s impact than with those who have been along for the ride. Saturday is a night for just that.

The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Chautauqua County has been supporting families for 30 years. To celebrate as March marks its 30th anniversary, the Club is holding a banquet for alumni and community partners to come together and share in the success.

The inaugural Alumni Celebration Dinner will be Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Route 5 Event Center on Lake Shore Drive in Dunkirk. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children.

“Now is the perfect time to do it,” said Executive Director Jeannie Gallaway. “Why not celebrate people who have made the Club what it is?”

The theme of the dinner is “Moments and Milestones,” as the Club seeks to bring former members and families of the Club together with the next generation while celebrating the achievements they have made in their time since leaving the Club. Anyone affiliated with the Club over the past 30 years is welcome to attend.

The Boys & Girls Club has plenty to celebrate, especially now that the Club has received an official license from the state as an after school childcare program. The Club was awarded a Learning and Enrichment Afterschool Program Supports (LEAPS) grant from New York State, which provides $350,000 each year for the next five years. It is the largest grant ever received by the Club.

The Club is more than just maintaining what it was many years ago, it is growing. The Club now serves more than 170 children from the community each year, and even had a waiting list for after school care. The Club is also looking to provide additional programming for teens in the community, as well, and it has recently added a full-time Site Director and a full-time School-age Childcare Coordinator.

Gallaway hopes that the alumni dinner will become an annual event, with hopes for establishing an Alumni Association to assist the Club in any way possible. The Club has been here for the long haul, and it hopes to continue to foster the relationships it built along the way for years to come.

To purchase a ticket prior to the event, contact Gallaway at jeannieg.bgc@gmail.com. Tickets will also be on sale at the door.