As part of its annual support campaign, Graycor Industrial attended and helped sponsor the Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County’s 17th Annual Steak & Burger and S’mores dinner on Sept. 28. The charity event—held at the Urschel Pavilion in Valparaiso, Indiana, and attended by community members, volunteers and donors—featured performances by club members, a bicycle giveaway and a VIP reception.

The purpose of the event is to bring caring community leaders and Boys & Girls Clubs’ members together for an evening of fun and entertainment. Graycor Industrial attendees Kevin Grooms, project director; Ted Vrehas, vice president; and Steve Gierke, estimator, shared a table and dined with several club members, giving them the opportunity to learn more about the youngsters’ experiences.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County is a private, nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire and enable the youth of our communities to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.

American Heart Association

On Saturday, Sept. 24, Chet Nay, project accountant administrator for Graycor Industrial, and his family participated in the 2016 Northwest Indiana Heart Walk—the American Heart Association’s (AHA) premiere event for raising funds to fulfill its mission to save lives from the country’s No. 1 and No. 5 killers: heart disease and stroke.

Representing ‘Team Graycor’ with pride, the Nays participated in the two-hour Porter County event held at the Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve in Chesterton, Indiana. The Heart Walk is designed to promote physical activity and heart-healthy living in a fun and rewarding environment.

“The message my family took away from this event was both heartwarming and sobering,” says Chet, whose oldest son Ethan who was born with a ventricular septal defect (VSD), as well as mild pulmonary stenosis and bicuspid valve heart disorders. As an infant, Ethan underwent open heart surgery to correct the VSD and stenosis. In adulthood, he may need surgery once more to replace the defective valve.

Chet thanks Dan Kilgore and Ted Vrehas, vice presidents for Graycor Industrial, for their leadership and support, as well as his family and friends, and Graycor coworkers and vendors for their generosity in helping to raise donations.

In addition to Graycor’s donation of $5,000, Chet raised $2,265 through his online AHA donations page, bringing the total contributions to $7,265!