07/18/17

Why We Have a Blast Ringleading the Blue Water Bash

It’s hot outside right now. You know it. We know it; and in the Midwest, everyone knows that one of the best ways to pass the hot summer months is by retreating to a clear blue lake for swimming, boating and recreation. A summer lake vacation is practically a rite of passage, yet if you’re a kid who grew up in an urban jungle, you may never have dipped your toes in lake water, let alone experienced the pure joy of spending a week on the lake.

At Camp Okoboji, Boys Town is changing that.

Boys Town Lets Kids be Kids – Some for the First Time

Some of the kids who get to spend four days at Camp Okoboji don’t know what it means to have a vacation. They’ve never jumped off the end of a dock. They don’t know what it feels like to ride in a boat. Some have never seen a lake.

On its site, Boys Town’s Camp Okoboji Director Amy Hernbloom says the kids “love it up here. It’s a lot of opportunity for them to…try new things out.”

OBI Creative is a longtime fan and supporter of Boys Town and the life-changing hope and direction they provide to children. Since 2012, we have endeavored to help Boys Town maintain and improve the Camp Okoboji experience through our management and sponsorship of the Blue Water Bash. “It’s a cause near and dear to our founder’s heart,” says VP Operations and Leadership Lana LeGrand. “Growing up in Spencer, Iowa a mere 30 miles south of Okoboji, Mary Ann spent summers with family at Lake Okoboji. When she found out the Camp needed some help to restore it to its former glory and extend the summer camp experience to kids, we came together to create an event that could really make a difference.”

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Opportunities to Donate, Attend Through Silent Auction Items and More

If you want to help give Boys Town kids a summer camp experience they will never forget, there are plenty of ways for you to get involved. You can:

• Donate money to Camp Okoboji
• Sponsor the Blue Water Bash
• Attend the Blue Water Bash and participate in our Silent or Live Auctions

We’d like to thank our awesome clients: Priceless Prints, Dismal River, and the Nebraska Humane Society, for donating auction items in support of Camp Okoboji! One look at the items we’ve collected so far makes it clear that people are willing to put some memorable experiences up for Boys Town to make it possible to do the same for kids and summer camp.

Silent Auction Items

• Tom Osborne framed autographed 25×20 poster (valued at $230)
• A ‘super silent’ Jack Rees original oil painting
• Puppy Love basket from the Nebraska Humane Society – includes 6 weeks training class and private tour of NHS (valued at $230)
• Priceless Prints package – silver fingerprint kit (valued at $80)
• A ‘super silent’ item from Borsheims Fine Jewelry  

Live Auction Items

• Border Battle package – 2 Tickets to Husker vs. Hawkeyes Thanksgiving Rivalry Football Game – Club 222, Row 16, Seats 16 & 17, VIP parking, tailgate, welcome basket, valet, 1-night stay at Embassy Suites Lincoln, (valued at $1,150)
• Faith Hill and Tim McGraw Concert Tickets – September 22 at Century Link Center in Omaha; Section 123, Row 11, Seats 1, 2, 3 & 4 + 1-night stay at the Embassy Suites in the Old Market.
• Thomas Rhett concert – 4 tickets and 2 king beds, rooms for one night at the Hilton in Downtown Omaha
• The Bunker in Okoboji – 4 night stay plus 2, 18-hole rounds of golf (with purchase of 2 rounds) at Emerald Hills Golf Club
• Dismal River golf package – 3 days of golf + carts, 2 nights lodging

Make Plans to Have a Blast at the 2017 Blue Water Bash

The event on Saturday, July 29, will be a full evening of food and festivities at Boys Town’s Camp Okoboji. An open bar, heavy hors d’oeuvres, silent and live auctions, music, and Camp tours highlighting recent renovations are all part of the fun.

Your attendance and sponsorship will give at-risk kids the opportunity to experience the wonder, camaraderie and joy of summer camp—an experience they’ll carry with them forever.

What’s your favorite summer camp experience? Have you been to Lake Okoboji before? Which of the auction items do you most want to bid on?