On Saturday, Nov. 14, 370 guests gathered for the 27th annual auction and dinner event themed “Mission Possible” to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula.

“We were really excited because this was a record-breaking year for us,” Janet Gray, resource development director for the clubs, said.

Club officials set their fundraising goal at $260,000, but by the end of the night the “overwhelming” support totaled $320,000, she said, up $20,000 over last year.

Not only were funding records shattered, but the overall response and attendance surpassed past years, as well as the donations raised by “Bid for Kids” where people simply give to the clubs.

“I think people understand this community and realize that one in every two children lives in poverty here,” Gray said. “Also people get to see their gift at work because we really try to get people into the club and get the children out into the community.”

The funds raised at the annual event support about 20 percent of the organization’s $1.1. million annual budget, she said.