The board and staff at the Boys & Girls Club will always remember Dick Bernick as a long-time supporter of the Boys & Girls Club and a friend of youth in our community.
Dick Bernick and his family through Bernick’s Pepsi-Cola have supported each of the organization’s building campaigns, starting with the Southside campaign in 1999.
Dick was one of the founding members of the Board of Trustees in 1998 and remained on the Trustees for 19 years.
Under his leadership, Bernick’s joined the Partners for the Future sponsorship program in 2001 and remained a sponsor through 2006. After that, the company transitioned to funding programs through the Bernick Family Foundation. The foundation has funded Boys & Girls Club programs to keep kids healthy and active, to provide career development programs and to prepare kids for post-secondary education. In total, Bernick’s has donated more than $181,000 to the Boys & Girls Club through grants and sponsorships.
Bernick’s has also been a sponsor of the Boys & Girls Club’s Summer Benefit since its inception, and has been a key supporter as a corporate sponsor and in a variety of other ways. Bernick’s always provides pop, water, beer sampling (and wine, too!). In addition, Bernick’s has helped the organization print banners for the benefit, which has saved thousands of dollars over the years, enabling more funds raised to go directly to programming.
In recent years, Dick Bernick has passed the torch to his son Jason Bernick to carry on his tradition of supporting the communities in which Bernick’s does business. Jason has toured Boys & Girls Club facilities and attended Club events to learn more about how the Club makes a difference in the lives of youth.
“My father, Dick, has always had a passion for supporting the future generations of our community,” said Jason Bernick. “The Boys & Girls Clubs aligns very well with his vision of nurturing youth toward responsible and respected members of community. The next generation of Bernick’s are honored to continue the tradition of community support that Dick has built for us.”
“We are so grateful to Dick Bernick for the lasting impact he has made on our community and the Boys & Girls Club,” said Executive Director Mark Sakry. “He truly has led the way for the next generation to understand the importance of giving back to make where we live and work a better place. We look forward to working with Jason and the rest of the Bernick family to continue the tradition he started.”
Thank you, Dick Bernick!