Buffalo Wild Wings announced that it donated more than $730,000 as part of its annual Community Day fundraiser that supports local Boys & Girls Clubs through the Team Up for Kids mission. On April 13, more than 900 restaurants donated at least 10 percent of their total in-restaurant sales to support youth sports opportunities at Boys & Girls Clubs in their community, while guests made additional donations. This year’s Community Day fundraising total represents an increase of 35 percent over 2015.
Participating restaurants hosted a variety of activities to encourage guest participation in Community Day, such as games, raffles, stunts, and wing-eating contests. Kids and volunteers from local Clubs also visited restaurants and participated in activities such as seating Guests and thanking customers at the door. One group of Club kids even gave drumline performances at several restaurants.
“At Buffalo Wild Wings, we always look forward to Community Day because it’s a great way for restaurants and Guests to engage with their local Boys & Girls Clubs and support our vision to build communities where all kids can thrive, compete and belong to a team,” says Emily Decker, senior vice-president and general counsel of Buffalo Wild Wings. “We’d like to extend a big ‘thank you’ to all who participated to make this year’s event the most successful one yet, helping us create opportunities for kids and teens, and supporting Clubs and their critical youth programming.”
To extend its support of Boys & Girls Club of America (BGCA), Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants will offer a limited edition branded wristband during the month of October for a minimum $5 donation. The donations will help train coaches and provide uniforms and equipment to young athletes as part of the ALL STARS program.
Now in its fourth year, Buffalo Wild Wings’ Team Up for Kids mission and partnership with BGCA supports youth sports through ALL STARS grants for hundreds of flag or tackle football, basketball, cheer, and dance teams at Boys & Girls Clubs across the country. It also provides Team Up for Kids grants of $26,000 to support special Club projects, such as sports field and other facility renovations.
In 2015, Buffalo Wild Wings' partnership enabled 60,000 kids and teens to participate on teams. The company also awarded grants to 17 Clubs across the country. In total, Buffalo Wild Wings, along with its Guests, donated more than $2.8 million to BGCA. The company has extended its commitment through 2020 and will donate at least $2 million each year.
