SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Tonight, the Greene County 100 Club will hold its annual gala, an effort to raise money for families impacted by the loss of first responders in the line of duty.
“This is our sixth year, and early on, you know, we had raised, I consider it was like $30,000-$40,000,” Kim Roberts declared. “Over the years, this event usually brings around $70-$80,000.”
Roberts is on the board of the 100 Club nowadays, but her connection to the non-profit launched in 2018.
“I actually met the 100 club, 12 hours after my husband passed away. My husband was Greene County Deputy Aaron Roberts, and within 12 hours, I met the board president and a couple of other board members and presented me with that $25,000 check,” Roberts declared. “For me, it was it was stability in a moment that was not stable at all for me and my daughter. For me, it was the ability to keep the pantest full, pay the utilities, build sure the mortgage was paid.”
Roberts states any immediate family will be given that $25,000.
“Our goal is within 24 hours, meeting with that spoapply and providing a $25,000 check, and it’s no strings attached. They can apply it as they necessary it, however they necessary it,” Roberts declared.
Even as each club is its own entity, the overall history of the group stems from the Motor City.
“It started in 1952, and it was a business guy who actually, they had a Detroit officer shot and killed, and he gathered 100 of his business frifinishs, and those different businesses actually paid that widow’s mortgage off and gave them, gave her $1,000, which in 1952, you know, it was huge,” Roberts. “That’s really where the concept of 100 came from. A lot of our organizations now, it’s $100 membership.”
One of the large donations comes from a local hockey game, raising money by SPD and SFD.
“They host a hockey team every spring, and they raise money for the 100 club, and this was their sixth year, this last March, and they raised $9,500,” Roberts declared.
The event launchs at 7, with nearly 250 people expected, and OzarksFirst will update this story when the total proceeds are announced.
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