INDIANAPOLIS — You can help children throughout the city by becoming one again — if only for a few hours.

The Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis has invested in the children of central Indiana for 130 years, and on April 27, the club is investing in the child inside you by throwing an “Adult Recess” party with a purpose.

Think back to when you were a child; did you like math, science history? If you’re honest with yourself, perhaps your favorite subject was actually recess. With the Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis, you can relive those times Thursday evening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Lilly Club in Fountain Square.

The “Adult Recess” event is similar, yet different, from recesses you may recall as there will be axe throwing, racecar simulators and even adult beverages provided. Lilly Club Unit Director George Gardner said harkening back to those innocent times, there will also be dodgeball, painting and of course snacks. 

“Adult Recess is a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis to get young professionals out, to just experience the club and have a night where you can kind of let your hair down and relive your youth,” Gardner said. “And for those not familiar with the club, this is our chance to let them know who we are and what we do in a fun way, of course. 

“The Boys & Girls Club is an after-school program. We serve kids aged 5 up to 18, and like I’ve said, to many people over the years, the club just gives kids the chance to have the opportunity — he opportunity to experience new things, create new relationships with kids, but then also with respectable staff.”

The event costs $50 to attend, but that ticket price isn’t necessarily just for the kid inside you. Gardner explained how that money goes a whole lot further for other children in the city.

“The $50 donation is going to give one of our club kids the full summer experience. It’s $50 for the entire summer. That’s not $50 a day, that’s not $50 a week, your one ticket gets that kid six weeks of summer programming,” Gardner said. “My favorite part about ‘Adult Recess‘ is just helping build awareness with our young people that are kinda coming back out to relive your childhood. The club is a safe place for kids, and it’s supposed to be fun, and to get community awareness of what we do and offer in our blue doors I think is the highlight for me.”

The Boys & Girls Club’s Lilly location in Fountain Square serves roughly 140 children every day after school. Gardner estimates those numbers will hold steady throughout the summer months where staff and volunteers provide meaningful programming to those kids from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

If you’re interested in having some fun and helping others along the way, be sure to dress casually. No one wore a suit and tie to recess.