Our Daily Show Interview! Adam Marburger Riverbend Rescue: Keys For Kids Coming Soon!
ALTON - There’s a new nonprofit in the Riverbend region, and they’re asking for help to make sure local kids have a great holiday season.
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Riverbend Rescue, founded by Adam Marburger, has been helping families buy Christmas gifts for about five years. But this is the first year that the organization is spreading the word about their mission and asking for donations. Their “Keys for Kids” fundraiser is planned for Nov. 16, 2024, and Marburger encourages people to donate.
“As an entrepreneur, it’s an entrepreneur’s due diligence, their obligation, to give back to the community,” Marburger said. “I want to be vocal to other entrepreneurs: Let’s spend some money. Literally. Let’s not be greedy. Let’s pull the freaking wallet out of your back pocket. And whether it’s my nonprofit or any nonprofit or going down to the food shelter or doing whatever it is, you are to contribute to your local community.”
The Keys for Kids event will take place at Laux Brick Hall in Bethalto on Nov. 16. Tickets cost $50 and all money will go back to the organization. With dueling pianos, a silent auction and more, Marburger predicts it will be a fun way to support a good cause.
“We’re going to have some fun and we’re here to raise these funds so it goes right back in the community,” he said. “It’s going to be so fun. We’re going to have a good time. We can do what we’re supposed to do for the community but we can do it while having a good time as well.”
Over the past five years, Riverbend Rescue has supported many local families during the holiday season. Marburger collaborates with Al Womack, Jr., director of the Alton Boys and Girls Club, to identify families who could use some extra help. The kids turn in wishlists, and the Riverbend Rescue team purchases the items on the lists.
Marburger said it “really broke [his] heart” to see that most of the kids ask for essentials, like underwear, socks and cookware for their families. Though he believes that it’s important to serve the community without boasting about it, he decided this year to spread the word about Riverbend Rescue so that the organization could do more.
“Our heart is in the right place, and we were silent for about five years, but we can only do so much. I can only do so much,” he explained. “So why not create a nonprofit, bring folks together in the community who want to be a part of this? Let’s be vocal about it. Let’s be as vocal as we possibly can, because the more money we raise, the more impact that we can have and the more we can help these families that need it the most.”
No one on the Riverbend Rescue team takes a salary, so 100% of the proceeds raised through donations and the Keys for Kids event will go back to the community. Marburger hopes to see many people at the event on Nov. 16, and he encourages community members to come together to support those who need it most.
“Every dollar that comes in goes right back into the community,” he said. “We are working with the local school systems. We are going to be helping the kids in most need. The families in most need are the families we’re here to serve.”
For more information about Riverbend Rescue or to purchase your tickets for the Keys for Kids event, visit the official Riverbend Rescue Facebook page or email the organization at riverbendrescue@gmail.com.
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