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Aurora mentoring group to host first fundraiser

Triple Threat Mentoring in Aurora has existed as a nonprofit agency since 2007 without ever holding a fundraiser.

That will change Monday as the organization seeks funds to provide more after-school activities and positive role models for children.

Triple Threat Executive Director Caleb Luper said the organization expects to host between 80 and 100 programs this year for low-income kids in Aurora, an increase from 25 programs held in each of its first two years.

“When I started it, I didn’t come out of the gates with some big massive idea of how I could help all these people at once,” Luper said. “I just figured if I took one step at a time ... eventually I would earn the right to ask for help financially.”

Triple Threat’s first fundraiser will be a golf outing beginning at 9:30 a.m. Monday at Aurora Country Club, 1548 W. Prairie St. Registration is $250 for each golfer and walk-ups will be accepted.

More than money, Luper said he’ll be asking the event’s estimated 100 golfers to share their resources, knowledge, passions and time with Triple Threat.

“As much as the money is important, a lot more important is the possibility of these individuals and companies getting involved with us way past this golf outing,” Luper said.

The organization focuses on athletics, arts and academics, hosting ongoing and one-time programs for kids ages 6 to 18. A drum group, spoken word and poetry events, a bicycle repair program, basketball camps, a BMX biking team and a hip-hop group that builds skills in reading and phonics are among Triple Threat activities.

“The power of any program we do is the relationships that are formed,” Luper said.

About 20 staffers work for Triple Threat, which currently is based in the Fred Rodgers Community Center at 501 College Ave.

The organization needs to find a new headquarters because the building was sold to East Aurora District 131, but Luper said he hopes to avoid using money from the golf outing to rent space. Triple Threat spends 94 cents of each dollar it receives on programming, and Luper said he wants to keep it that way.

Triple Threat has grown over five years without fundraisers mainly because of sponsors, 80 percent of which are not local, such as Nike and Wrigley heiress’ Helen Rosburg’s Medallion Press, Luper said.

The golf outing will draw a much more Aurora-centered crowd, and Luper said he hopes it will drum up more hometown support for his organization.

“We’re definitely going to build this into the future,” he said. “Our goal is to be sustainable. We want to look at helping kids over years and years.”

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