The Including You, Inc. organization raised $10,000 at their 6th annual fun festival summer event on July 29th and chose two deserving non-profit organizations to donate funds to.
The community family fun festival this year chose the Fairmont Community Partnership Group and the Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66 located in downtown Joliet to be the recipients of $5,000 each.
For the past sixth years the annual family fun outdoor event has been held in Joliet’s downtown City Center. Each year the community buys tickets to support the organizations mission to give. Attendees get to be a part of and engage with talented local artist, watching them perform as they show off. various food and other types of vendors set-up to sell their wares and there’s always raffle prizes, which are a main part of the festival.
Julia Alexander, president of Including You, said each year the event benefits two local organizations who help make the community better.
“We had about 2,000 people show up,”” she said. “We are building back up after Covid,” she added.
Touting this year’s success, Alexander said she’s planning for next year’s event, which is scheduled for July 20, 2024. Because of planned construction in downtown Joliet, the event will not be on its regular date of July 29 but, will instead be held at Bicentennial Park in 2024 and 2025.
“God has blessed us once more,” Alexander said about the donations they raised this year. “A committee will once again go out and interview community organizations and select the two that best serve the community and its residents for next year.
“We cannot wait to give money to the needy in our city,” Alexander said. “We love helping people as our theme is let’s help someone.”
Alexander said she could not have made the contributions without the tireless efforts of sponsors and volunteers.
“I am more proud of the people who stepped up to the plate and made this happen,” she said.
Including You, Inc. began in 2017 for the purpose of uniting the Joliet community, said Alexander. The mission, she said, is to empower, inspire, and educate. These core values, according to Alexander, enhance the self-esteem of a spirited Joliet community.
The Fairmont Community Partnership Group was chosen for the donation because of its dedication to enhancing and improving the lives of residents in the Fairmont community by addressing societal issues in the neighborhood. Fairmont is a small, urban, unincorporated neighborhood located between Lockport and Joliet. It is under the governance of Will County and Lockport Township.
The Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66 in Joliet is a non-profit group that exists to preserve of history of musicians and bands with ties to Illinois.
Last year, the Bad News Academy and the Salvation Army of Joliet benefitted from the $5,000 donation. Funds given to both organizations have been used to offset costs of programs offered and services to residents in the community, said Alexander.
