The Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County recently held a record-breaking fundraiser, an event executive director Ryan Davis said is a testament to how much people in the community support the club and see the positive impact it has on area youths.

"It's been a phenomenal year for the club," Davis said. "In the last year, we've had a 40 percent growth in our membership and a 148 percent growth in our team membership." He added that the club expanded its teen center by 1,000 square feet to accommodate the growing number of members of all ages. The club will serve at least 2,500 youths by the end of the year.

The gala fundraiser, which was Oct. 17 at The Coeur d'Alene Resort, broke $200,000 for the first time in the eight years the club has hosted the annual event. Davis reported the amount to be a $30,000 increase from last year's fundraiser.

"That's an amazing opportunity for us to continue on," he said.

Davis said the club's annual operating budget is $400,000; every penny goes to programs for the kids and keeping membership fees low. Officials at the Boys and Girls Club also conduct plenty of grant writing to help offset costs.

"We are able to provide more programs to more kids," Davis said. "We are only able to do this because of the community."

The Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County's mission is: "To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens." The club focuses on keeping kids engaged in social, healthy, positive activities in a safe environment supervised by encouraging mentors.

Info: www.northidahobgc.org