On March 7th the Partnership Pirate Ship docked at the Country Club of Johnston County to celebrate its annual Raise the Booty Benefit Fundraiser for Partnership for Children of Johnston County. Nearly 200 supporters attended this year’s event playing exciting games, opening treasure chests, and bidding on an array of silent and live auction items ranging from home décor and sports packages to vacation trips and a personal dinner for six. This year’s event raised almost to $60,000.
“I could not be more excited about the evolution of this fun event!” says Dwight Morris, Executive Director. “Most importantly, its success is because of the great friendships we have and their investments in literacy, community impact, and providing our young children and families unique, quality of life experiences.” Morris also adds, “Johnston County is very fortunate to have many individuals and businesses who generously give their time and resources to better our community! No matter the challenges, we are a strong county because of you all. A great, big, heartfelt “thank you mateys” to everyone who made this year’s Raise the Booty our greatest success yet!”
Each year a special Fund-a-Need auction takes place. This year, $17,000 was raised to build a Story Walk at the Partnership for Children Park in Smithfield and four additional story walks throughout the county. Each story walk will consist of 15 – 20 displays along a park walkway or nature trail to promote early literacy and active lifestyles. Stories will be changed each month to encourage families and childcare providers to return on a regular basis.
Proceeds from Raise the Booty fund early literacy programs such as: Reach Out and Read (a partnership with local pediatricians), Little Free Libraries in Johnston County, the campaign for Grade Level Reading (a community effort to increase the number of children in Johnston County reading at Grade Level by the end of Third grade), and advocating for our children in Johnston County.
ABOUT PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN OF JOHNSTON COUNTY
The Partnership for Children of Johnston County is a non-profit organization. For 20 years, the Partnership has worked to improve the safety, health and emotional well-being of young children by enhancing the quality of childcare and supporting strong families. The Partnership works collaboratively to improve the quality of early childhood education and school readiness for all of Johnston County’s children.
Together we can improve the economic sustainability of Johnston County by ensuring that its future workforce is prepared for success in school and life. To find out more about the programs and services offered by the Partnership for Children, please call 919-202-0002.
