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Fun City owner donates to drive, <br />for Elk River Boys and Girls Club <br /> <br />i by Michelle Moriarity <br />· Staff writer <br /> For FunCity co-owner <br />, Margaret Thibodeau, the deci- <br />.sion to donate money to Elk <br />'River's Boys and Girls Club <br />,was an easy one. <br /> "It kind of stems back to why <br />iwe started this place," <br />'Thibodeau said of the family <br />'~amusement facility she and <br />iher husband opened 10 years <br />, ago in Otsego. <br />' Thibodeau's son complained <br />',that no activities were avail- <br />'.able in the area. So the <br />,Thibodeaus opened and have <br />i gradually expanded their <br />,business into a year-round <br />'.venue, with such activities as <br />'miniature golf, lazer tag, <br />',bumper cars and arcade <br />i games. <br />· This spring Thibodeau decid- <br />ed to contribute to the Elk <br />River community on a differ- <br />ent level by donating $1,000 <br />toward the construction of a <br />Boys and Girls Club facility in <br /> <br />Lions Park as part of the "Buy <br />a Brick" fund raiser for the <br />center. <br /> Local attorney and Boys and <br />Girls Club treasurer Paul <br />Motin said Thibodeau's dona- <br />tion is probably one of the five <br />largest contributions so far. <br /> "It was good in that it got <br />other people to think about <br />giving larger amounts," Motin <br />said. · ' <br />Othe~ organizations that <br />matched or donated even <br />more than Thibodeau's contri- <br />bution include Century 21 <br />White Dove Realty and the <br />Elk River Kiwanis Club. <br /> Boys and Girls Club officials <br />have raised more than <br />$210,000 to date, Motin said. <br />Their goal is $800,000. <br /> The facility is scheduled to <br />open about mid-fall. <br /> Thibodeau said that this <br />kind of youth facility is long <br />overdue in Elk River. <br /> "We felt we had the interest <br />and hoped the community <br /> <br /> Front row: Joshua Zoccoli, Justin Kuklocki, Dustin Weber, <br />Derek Francis. <br /> Back row: Emerald Gratz, Margaret Thibodeau, Megan <br />Bykowski. (Photo by Peg Zoccoli) <br /> <br />would support us," she said. <br />"It would be nice to see all <br />businesses buy a brick." <br /> In addition to supporting <br />local youth organizations and <br /> <br />fund raisers, Thibodeau also <br />employs more than a dozen <br />individuals from ages 16 to <br />24. <br /> <br /> <br />