The American Business Club of Springfield presented more than $128,000 to Springfield-area charities during a Sept. 30 ceremony held on the Illinois State Fairgrounds. The funds were raised through ABC’s volunteer efforts at the 2025 Illinois State Fair managing gate admissions for the 11 days of the Fair.
This year, ABC made donations to 63 charities, including church youth groups, school booster programs, civic clubs and charities, fraternities and sororities and more. This was the 21st year that the American Business Club managed admissions for the Illinois State Fair, and a record high for both the number of charities and the amount of total donations.
“We are grateful to the American Business Club for their partnership and support,” said Illinois Director of Agriculture Jerry Costello II. “As the size of the donations continues to grow, so too does the impact on local charities and the communities they serve.”
“We want to take this time to recognize and celebrate all of the groups and each of their volunteers who helped ABC make our admissions project at the State Fair this year one of the most successful ever,” said ABC president Jerry Boster. “We congratulate each of them on the good work they do in their own way for our community and are proud to contribute to that.”
The presentation was made at the ABC Family Park, located inside the Main Gate, just past the Giant Slide. ABC donated funds to design and build the park in 1997.
This article appears in October SBJ 2025.