Prairie State Wire

The American Business Club (ABC) of Springfield is set to distribute more than $128,000 to local charities during a presentation at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on September 30. The funds were collected through ABC’s volunteer work managing gate admissions at the 2025 Illinois State Fair, which spanned 11 days.

This year marks the 21st consecutive year that ABC has overseen admissions for the fair. The group will be supporting 63 different organizations, including church youth groups, school booster programs, civic clubs, fraternities, sororities, and other charitable entities. Both the number of recipient organizations and the total amount donated represent new records for ABC’s annual effort.

“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 event will take place at ABC Family Park inside the Main Gate of the Illinois State Fairgrounds—a park that was designed and built with funds donated by ABC in 1997.