On Feb. 16, Skybacher Ministries held their annual ‘Someone Special Dance’ at the Freedom Middle School. This dance is a popular event attended by boys and girls in kindergarten through sixth grade and their adult date.

There is a cover charge at the door and tickets are sold for gift baskets that are raffled off at the end of the night. The youth in attendance enjoy music, dancing and lots of sweet treats. This annual dance is the first of four major fundraising events that are held by Skybacher Ministries each year. Skybacher Ministries is just one of many nonprofit organizations that uses fundraising as a means of existence. Other nonprofit organizations include the Salvation Army and the Women’s Center of Beaver County.

        What is a nonprofit organization and how do they sustain their existence in today’s world of big business? According to Investopedia, a nonprofit is dedicated to furthering a particular social cause or advocating for a shared point of view.

In economic terms, nonprofits must make financial and operating information public so that donors are certain their contributions have been used effectively. They pay no income tax on the donations they receive or any money they earn through fundraising activities.

Skybacher Ministries is a nonprofit youth and sports ministry serving the Beaver Valley Area, based out of New Sewickley Township. The organization began with a volleyball tournament in 2005 and now has a busy, year-round calendar of various events for youth that includes everything from various sports tournaments, to Sunday evening ‘Pray-n-Play’ to six weeks of summer sports camps.

However, all of that requires help to make the programs run and that help comes at a cost. Money is needed to pay for counselors, program coordinators and for advertising and marketing.

        Skybacher Ministries raises the funds they need to operate their summer camps solely from their four major fundraising events each year. The ‘Someone Special Dance’ is the first one of the year and is generally very well attended by members of the community.

The second annual event is the Dinner Auction held in April. Attendees pay a cover charge, bring a homemade or store bought dish and bring a new or slightly used item to be auctioned off during the evening. All proceeds support the organization for its future endeavors.

Their third event is held in the summer and has become very popular and anticipated by many throughout the years. The annual Duck Derby that takes place during New Sewickley Community Days. People purchase a rubber duck that gets to compete in a race in Brush Creek at Green Valley. Duck owners line the creek to watch these ducks swim to the finish line, all for a good cause. The last of the four fundraising events takes place in the fall and varies from year to year.

        Skybacher Ministries focuses on using the avenue of sports to connect with the youth.  The fundraising events are based upon fun and memorable experiences that attract attendance from within the community.

“The Someone Special Dance, Rubber Duck Derby and Dinner Auction are great events that not only the community can participate in and have fun with, but they are a way for Skybacher Ministries to connect with parts of the community that aren’t necessarily involved in the sports culture,” John Mohrbacher said.

As long as the community fundraising events continue to bring in enough funds, the programs at Skybacher Ministries will be supported. The youth of the Beaver Valley will benefit from this organization’s mission. To donate to Skybacher Ministries, you can visit their website at skybacherministries.org.