DETROIT -- The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan (BGCSM) raised over $320,000 during their first BGCSM Virtual Fundraiser on April 23 -- which exceeded their original $100,000 goal. The virtual event featured celebrities “taking over” BGCSM’s newly launched virtual club where they competed against each other and club youth in games like Family Feud, Shazam and Bad Jokes. Additionally, Big Sean hosted a sixteen bars rap challenge for aspiring rappers in Detroit. The winner, Mr. Jarvis-LaRue Brown -- BGCSM club director of the Matilda R. Wilson Club -- won a 30-minute A&R consultation with Omar Grant, the co-president of RocNation.

The BGCSM Virtual Club provides daily programming and mental health breaks for club youth ages 8-18. The fundraiser mirrored the daily virtual club experience which includes a live DJ, interactive games and skill challenges. Today’s virtual club had 300 unique devices and over 1,000 attendees.

“Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan is overwhelmed by the support we received from the Community. Today was something our youth and families will never forget,” said BGCSM president and CEO, Shawn H. Wilson. “These are truly unprecedented times, but I know we can get through them if we come together and lift each other up, like we did today.”

“I deeply appreciate everyone that participated in the virtual takeover to support and uplift the kids and families in our community,” said rapper and founder of the Sean Anderson Foundation Big Sean. “It was a fun-filled event and I am happy to have been able to be a part of it. Blessings to you all."

BGCSM, like many businesses and nonprofits have undergone a tremendous funding gap created by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in club closures and fundraising event cancellations. All proceeds will help ensure additional resources to provide daily virtual programming, family wellness checks and facilitate plans to reopen select clubs for essential workers.

“We all have the responsibility to turn back, reach back and give back,” said Chris “Ludacris” Bridges. “That’s why I'm so happy to partner with Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan on the Virtual Club. They share our desire to help youth succeed and provide them with a hand up.”

Additional event sponsors included T-Mobile, Deerbrook Charitable Trust, Sterling Insurance Group, The Ludacris Foundation, RHP Properties, Toyota, Niko Goodrum from the Tigers, Matt and Karen Cullen, Anthony Laverde and the Glantz Family Charitable Trust.

For more information on the BGCSM Club membership or to make a donation, visit www.bgcsm.org/bgcsm-virtual-Club.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan

Founded in 1926, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan (BGCSM) has over 94 years of experience serving youth ages 6-18 by providing a safe, fun place that inspires, while offering high quality programs that provide real-world learning from caring adult mentors. Serving nearly 15,000 youth annually within eight clubs throughout Southeastern Michigan, BGCSM works every day to provide a world-class experience, empowering youth to become change agents for their life, club and communities.