Keys for Kids Is Back — and It’s More Than a Party

Mark your calendar for July 31, because Keys for Kids is returning to the Holdrege Country Club for another night of music, community, and giving back to the people who care for our youngest kids.

If you haven’t been before, here’s the short version. Keys for Kids is HAECP’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and it’s built to be genuinely fun. The Fun Pianos Show takes the stage for a high energy dueling piano performance, there’s a full dinner, and a silent auction runs throughout the evening with items you’ll actually want to bid on. It’s a party first. But every ticket, every sponsorship, and every auction bid is doing real work behind the scenes.

Why We Do This

Here in Phelps County, we’ve come to see child care differently than most people expect. It’s not just a family issue, it’s economic infrastructure. When local child care providers can’t find substitutes, can’t cover extended hours, or can’t afford to stay open, it’s not just families who feel it. It’s the businesses that can’t fill shifts, the employers who lose good people, and the local economy that loses momentum.

That’s the gap HAECP exists to close, and Keys for Kids is how we fund the work. Last year alone, proceeds from the event allowed us to put $16,500 directly back into the hands of three local child care providers, money that helped keep their doors open and their programs strong. This year, we’re aiming even higher.

What Your Support Actually Does

Every dollar raised at Keys for Kids feeds directly into HAECP’s provider incentive programs, things like our Extended Hours Incentive and Infant Incentive programs, which help child care centers afford to say yes to the families who need care outside standard business hours. It also supports projects to keep building partnerships that bring more licensed, quality child care into our communities.

In short, when you buy a table, sponsor a piano, or bid on a silent auction item, you’re not just having a great night out. You’re helping a local provider keep the lights on, hire the staff they need, or say yes to one more family on a waitlist.

Ways to Get Involved

There’s a spot for everyone in this event, whether you want to go big or just show up and have fun.

• Piano Sponsors get top billing and visibility all night, front and center with the entertainment that makes this event what it is.

• Table Sponsors reserve a table for their team, clients, or friends and get recognized as a cornerstone of the evening.

• Event Supporters back the mission at a level that works for their business, with recognition throughout the event.

• Silent Auction Donations are always welcome. From gift baskets to experiences to services, every item helps raise more for local providers.

And if sponsorship isn’t the right fit, tickets alone go a long way. Come for the music, stay for the cause, and know that your night out is doing something bigger for this community.

Why It Works

What makes Phelps County’s approach a little different is that we’ve built something other Nebraska communities are starting to take notice of. Our incentive programs are designed to be replicable, a model other towns can look at and adapt for their own child care shortages. Keys for Kids isn’t just a fundraiser, it’s also a chance to show visitors from other communities what’s possible when a town decides child care is worth investing in.

Save the Date

Keys for Kids happens July 31 at the Holdrege Country Club. Dinner, dueling pianos, and a silent auction are on the menu, and so is the chance to make a real difference for the providers who care for our kids every single day.

Interested in sponsoring, donating an auction item, or grabbing tickets? Reach out to the HAECP team. We’d love to have you there.

Child care is economic development. Keys for Kids is how we invest in it.

Purchase your tickets here: https://onecau.se/_fm69y1