OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — The Culver's on Westowne Avenue in Oshkosh is raising money for the Oshkosh Raptors Football Program, a local non-profit who's equipment was recently vandalized and destroyed.
- For each Concrete Mixer sold at the Culver's, $1 will be donated to the Raptors Football Program.
- The owner of the Culver's location, Josh George, says he read about the vandalism on NBC26 and wanted to do something to help.
- The fundraiser runs through Friday, Nov.21.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Owner of the Oshkosh Culver's on Westowne Avenue, Josh George, says the restaurant loves to give back, especially after the pandemic.
"Community is so important, and during the pandemic, we really relied on the community to come and help us, otherwise we would have gone belly up," he says. "It's so rewarding to see that go back into the community that supported us through the pandemic."
Three weeks ago, George read a news story about the Oshkosh Raptors Football Program.
In October, right at the end of their season, the program found a large piece of equipment vandalized.
"I read the story, and I really liked the message that the athletic director and the president of the Raptors had to say," George says. "They're trying to build leadership skills with the kids, and that's what we're trying to do with our staff, with the kids that we employ."
The Raptors Program is a non-profit, so it would be difficult to replace the $3,500 piece of equipment, according to program president, Jay Supple.
"We got to work our butts off just to get the money to build a program, to get the kids new equipment and to get all the stuff that these kids need," he said in October. "We have to do a lot of fundraising."
George decided to create a Concretes for a Cause fundraiser for the Raptors, donating $1 from every concrete mixer to the program from Nov.18-22.
"My goal is to get $5,000 that we can give back to them... so that these kids can continue to become leaders in the community, they can continue to respect one another and understand that the community has their back," he says.
Supple says he's grateful for George's support, and all the money will go back to supporting the young football players.
"It's all about community," Supple says. "The more we're together and united, the better we're all going to be."
You can also donate by visiting the Raptors website.
