WINONA LAKE – The Baker Youth Club will host its annual fundraising event on March 10. Themed “A Bright Future,” it will highlight some of the members who will share why spending time at BYC is contributing to their future goals. Former club member and star of the 20th season of “The Bachelor,” Ben Higgins, and his fiancée, Lauren Bushnell, will return for the event, according to a news release from BYC. “We are looking forward to the opportunity to share the impact BYC has on the children in the community and help raise funds to invest in the future of our children,” said Higgins. Higgins and Bushnell will interview several members this year, inviting them to share their experiences at BYC. Tracy Furnivall, executive director, is eager for them to return. “We are happy to have Ben and Lauren return this year,” he said. Proceeds from this event ensure the continuance of the programs of the BYC. “This is our biggest fundraiser of the year we are excited to share opportunities to help make the future bright for children,” he said. This year’s event will held at the Winona Heritage Room in Winona Lake. A new feature this year will be incorporating “Click Bid” into the silent auction. Click Bid is a mobile bidding app that allows bidding right from a smart phone. Event attendees can visit byc.cbo.io to register and start seeing the items as soon as they are posted. Chad Metzger from Metzger’s Auction also will conduct a live auction following the program. There will be a VIP meet-and-greet beginning at 5:30 p.m. for diamond sponsors. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for all other sponsors and general admission ticket holders. General admission tickets are $75. General admission tickets can be purchased at www.bakeryouthclub.com or by visiting the BYC. Contact the Baker Youth Club at 574-267-8771 for sponsorship information. Baker Youth Club is a local youth development agency. BYC strives to provide quality supervision for the young people in the community. BYC emphasizes education, health, physical fitness and social skills while teaching young people life skills. The staff at BYC takes pride in helping children by providing a structured daily schedule that will teach them discipline, respect, relationship building and other essential components that will help them be successful in life. Baker Youth Club opened the doors to their new facility at 1401 E. Smith St., the former YMCA building, in 2014. The larger, renovated building, in addition to our satellite locations has allowed BYC to double the reach of its programming to 180-190 students per night, according to the news release. Over 90 students use the homework rooms nightly staffed by certified teachers. The BYC serves 150 free snacks per night and provides over 100 free meals a night to children attending the program. Currently, BYC has five buses transporting children to participate in the program
