Nantucket Boys & Girls Club Celebrates 20 Years Of "Summer Grove"

The Nantucket Boys & Girls Club is hosting its signature fundraiser tomorrow - The Tim Russert Summer Groove - and this year marks the 20th anniversary of the special event.

It was all the way back in 2002 that The Club held the first Summer Groove event, and one of the highlights that year was master of ceremonies, the late Tim Russert. It was the beginning of Russert's relationship with the Club, as he joined the Board of Trustees in 2003 and continued as the master of ceremonies of the event each year until his passing in 2008. The following year, the event was renamed in his honor, and the Tim Russert Spirit of Hope Award was established to continue his legacy.
More than 350 kids utilize the Club on a daily basis - over 1,200 annually, equating to roughly 700 families. In 2022, more than 75 percent of the public school district students on the island are now members. Island families rely on the Club as a form of childcare for the after-school hours before dinner, but it is far more than simply a gym. The Club offers dynamic programming for kids of all ages – including teens – that includes a literacy program, reading workshops, computer classes and more.

In the years since that first event in 2002, the Tim Russert Summer Groove has raised more than $12 million in support of the youth of Nantucket. Saturday's event is, unsurprisingly, sold out.