Kiwanis trivia raises $4,173 for Riley

With the Kiwanis Club of Greencastle having more than doubled its original fundraising goal, club representative Andrew Ranck presents a check for $4,173 to Melissa Sexton of the Riley Children’s Foundation. Sexton was in attendance for the most recent Kiwanis meeting after the club hosted its inaugural Indiana Trivia Night in late October as a fundraiser for Riley.

Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

With the fundraising goal met before the event even began, the inaugural Kiwanis Indiana Trivia Night was bound to be a success.

Still, when the Kiwanis Club of Greencastle raised $4,173 for the Riley Children’s Foundation, more than doubling its $2,000 goal, organizers had to be pleased.

Club member Andrew Ranck, who spearheaded the effort, noted that the $2,000 was raised simply by the sale of tables to the various participating teams. The additional funds were raised by the sale of celebrity members to the teams, a list that included Lynda Dunbar, Brian Cox, Beau Baird, Eric Bernsee and Jinsie Bingham, as well as other fundraisers in real time on that Saturday evening in late October.

“I think next year you can help to double it,” Ranck challenged his fellow club members.

Ranck made a check presentation on behalf of the club to Melissa Sexton of the Riley Children’s Foundation. Afterward, she praised Kiwanis as an organization and gave an update on how these funds will help Indiana kids.

“What you do for kids in your community and what you do for kids at Riley is incredible,” Sexton said. “What you are supporting across the state is access to mental health care for our kids.”

She noted that the goal is not to simply provide mental health care at the Riley campus in downtown Indianapolis, but to get providers into communities across the state.

Additionally, the hope is to provide virtual group therapy for children and teens so they don’t have to be reliant on transportation to get the treatment they need.

Right now, the program has allowed for services in Indianapolis and Mooresville, but the goal is to expand outward.

Sexton noted some harrowing statistics, including suicide as the No. 2 cause of death among Hoosier teens, one in five kids living with a mental health disorder and 82 of 92 counties with a mental health care shortage.

The good news is Riley has a plan, partnering with Kiwanis clubs and others to raise funds to address the challenge. Additionally, they are leveraging these funds for a matching program with the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, wherein the State of Indiana matches each dollar raised.

“I’ve been with Riley for 20 years, and I’ve never seen a group so ready to tackle problems for kids as Kiwanis,” Sexton said.