Indian Boundary YMCA annual gala to raise funds for scholarships, programming

Raised by a single mother, Jasmine Glover and her brother Danny, a local real estate business owner and member of the Village Council, spent their childhood in Downers Grove – a place they both still call home today.

“She was a really great mom but she didn’t have money for the extras,” Jasmine Glover said.

Their mom applied for a scholarship to the Indian Boundary YMCA so the two “could use the basketball court and track,” said Glover, who is a vice president with Wells Fargo Legal Specialty Group.

“Even when we were teenagers, we had a place to go. We could swim laps or work out in the gym,” she said.

The Glovers were able to attend programs such as gymnastics and swimming lessons in addition to basketball clinics, she said. They attended after-school care and summer camps, which allowed their mom to work.

Once they got to attend a five-day sleepaway camp where “we had so much fun jumping in the lake and singing songs around the campfire,” she said.

“An opportunity we otherwise wouldn’t have had,” Glover said.

Glover now is dedicated to giving the same opportunity to help children, seniors and low-income individuals benefit from the programs the YMCA offers.

The offerings of the YMCA improve mental, physical and social-emotional needs, which could “help kids with their academics,” she said.

The YMCA is structured to not refuse someone for their inability to pay, Glover said.

Glover joined the Indian Boundary YMCA board about eight years ago and for the past six years has chaired its gala event – the annual Indian Boundary YMCA scholarship fundraiser.

Each year, the event raises between $40,000 to $50,000.

The money raised can be used to give people memberships or allow them to participate in specific programing such as swim lessons or other specific activities.

This year, the Annual Gala Cocktail Party will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 7 at Cadence Kitchen, 5101 Mochel Drive, Downers Grove.

The event will include food and drinks along with the opportunity to network with other individuals committed to strengthening the YMCA’s mission. The event has a silent auction of in-kind donations from local businesses.

The dress code is cocktail attire. Tickets are $100.

Years ago, the event was a “formal sit-down event,” Glover said.

After the pandemic, organizers decided to reduce the overall cost of the event so that more money would go to the scholarships, she said.

Attendees “can give more to the event rather than paying more for the cost of the ticket,” Glover said.

Without the support of local businesses who help sponsor the event through either a cash or in-kind donation, the gala would not be possible, Glover said.