Boys Scouts South Georgia Council plan annual wild game dinner

ALBANY — The Wild Game Dinner, Auction and Gun Raffle, the largest fundraiser conducted annually by the South Georgia Council of the Boy Scouts of America, will be held soon for its 26th year.

The event, started by Lem Griffin — a member of the council’s board of directors — raises proceeds to help provide services and programs to Scouts in the 28 counties served by the council. This year’s dinner will be held on Oct. 9 at the Potter Community Center, located at 2621 Wildfair Road in southwest Dougherty County.

A reception and silent auction will begin at 6 p.m., dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m., and the live auction starts at 7:30 p.m. The meal is being catered by Austin’s Firegrill, and the silent auction will include a variety of items such as artwork, jewelry items, gift certificates, sporting goods, pine straw, pet supplies, corn hole games and a private distillery tour.

About 20 live auction items are expected to be available that include hunts, vacations and deep sea fishing trips.

Sam McCord, development director for the council, said a live band is expected to perform this year — which is a new addition for the event. A few new table sponsors have been added, indicating that the positive momentum for the fundraiser continues.

“About 600 attend the event every year,” McCord said. “We feel pretty comfortable reaching our goal.”

McCord said the council is not disclosing its goal but did say the money raised would be going “to provide services and programs to Scouts and leaders.”

Individual tickets are available for $40 each, or tables for eight can be reserved for $800 each. Sponsorship packages are still available, They include signage at the Wild Game Dinner, a program listing and recognition during the event. Raffle tickets are being sold for $25 each, which will give participants an opportunity to win a deer rifle, a 20-gauge shotgun, a 12-gauge shotgun or an AR-15.

The council serves more than 3,500 Scouts. Officials with BSA said that former Scouts account for 85 percent of Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, 72 percent of Rhodes scholars, 70 of U.S. Naval Academy graduates and 63 percent of Air Force Academy graduates.

For more information on the dinner, contact McCord at (229) 300-0649 or [email protected]. The council’s Albany office is located at 1100 N. Madison St., where tickets are available for purchase.

Jennifer Parks