Luau to support ‘Y’ childcare

What better month than February to attend a Hawaiian luau right here in Custer…an indoor luau, of course! Folks will be donning their Hawaiian shirts, flower leis and flipflops on Friday, Feb. 12, to travel to a tropical paradise created in The Custer Beacon to support the YMCA Child Development Center.
The first annual event was conceived as an ongoing fundraiser for the childcare center which has taken a financial hit this year in part because of COVID-19. Center director Erica Van Horn said, as a non-profit arm of the Custer YMCA, the Child Development Center must be subsidized by the rest of the organization every year, but 2020 was especially hard because of a drop in enrollments due to the pandemic.
She said when the number of children enrolled dropped from 55 to 10, the annual deficit, which will sometimes run as high as $2,000, ballooned to nearly $20,000.
However, she said, unlike many childcare providers, the Custer center was able to survive because of community support, “a ton of grants” and a $57,000 donation from the Custer County Commission.  
One of the stipulations from the county, however, was that the center show it is making an effort at fundraising to offset the annual deficits.
Seeing the article about the grant in the Chronicle, Custer insurance agent Ronni Calvird, a longtime organizer with Southern Black Hills Realtors for Kids, called Van Horn with the idea of putting on a similar yearly fundraiser for the center.  
A fundraising committee was formed and the idea of holding an indoor luau was proposed.
Calvird said the event will include a buffet with appetizers and dinner items with a tropical theme and desserts will be brought to the tables following the meal. In addition there will be both a silent and a live auction and other entertainment such as a slideshow of YMCA children’s activities and a video of the center’s children performing a Hawaiian dance which is being taught to them by one of the teachers who is from the Aloha State.
So far, Calvird said 12 tables seating eight persons each have been sold to businesses and individuals at a cost of $400 each and five half tables have been sold for $200 each. Calvird said the sale of the tables will cover the cost of the food and also provides a small profit for the Child Development Center.
With that, she said, 132 seats have been paid for, but additional admissions are being offered for $50 each.
Jeff Storm will be the auctioneer for the live auction. Calvird said a number of auction items have been donated, but more are sought. Cash donations are also being accepted.
A unique feature of the event is that childcare will be provided for parents who wish to attend the luau.
Van Horn said childcare will take place at the YMCA’s log building where the kids will be treated to a luau of their own. They will make leis, play “pass the coconut” and perhaps even roller skate. The cost of the childcare is $20 per child with a maximum of $40 per family for the night.
Calvird said each child will receive a T-shirt listing the names of table sponsors “so we’re gonna have little walking billboards.”
Those wishing to reserve a place at the luau are invited to contact Calvird, Van Horn or Karen Nielsen at Starr Insurance and attendees are encouraged to wear their favorite Hawaiian outfit.