Westland, MI (September 5, 2018) - This year, Mayor William R. Wild is pleased to announce that the 2018 Blues, Brews and BBQ will be awarding $20,000 to 16 local community organizations. This puts the total funds raised for community organizations at over $200,000 to date in the eight years of the event.
The checks were presented to the volunteer organizations at Tuesday night's City Council meeting.
"I want to thank all of our volunteers, the participating restaurants, our sponsors and the performers for another remarkable event," said Mayor Wild. "This signature event continues to grow and with the addition of fireworks, draws thousands of people from surrounding communities. We wouldn't be able to pull it all off without the help of our amazing civic group volunteers"
The 16 community organizations who will receive donations from the event include: Inspire Theater, John Glenn Cheer, Norwayne Community, Norwayne Boxing Club, St. John's Church, Warm Hearts, Westland Civitans, Westland Community Foundation, Westland Democratic Club, Westland Goodfellows, Westland Grange, Westland Historical Commission, Westland Area Jaycees, Westland Lions Club, Westland Police Explorers, Westland Rotary, Westland Youth Assistance and the Westland Youth Athletic Association.
"The money awarded to the Westland Area Jaycees goes directly back to making an impact within the three cities they serve - Wayne, Garden City and Westland," commented Jaycee President, Rebecca Markonni. "From Raking leaves for seniors, to putting a Christmas gift in the hands of over 100 children that would have gone without, the Westland Area Jaycees are here to serve our community."
To receive the funds, these local organizations provided the volunteer manpower to make this year's event a great success. The volunteers these groups provided served as greeters, grounds crew, and ID checkers, among a variety of other roles in an effort to cost effectively operate the annual event.
"Being able to hand out the checks is my favorite part," commented Westland Chamber of Commerce CEO, Brookellen Swope. "I always love seeing our civic groups, and being able to hand them money instead of asking them for something is a great feeling. We are blessed in our community to have so many great organizations and volunteers. This community event would not be possible without all of these wonderful people."
Attendees were treated some of Michigan's best BBQ vendors and packed the house for Blues legends at the 2-day event.