Bill Abplanalp and Bonnie Werstein of the Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club pick up a check from Maribel Selva and Mike Kane of the Northcenter Chamber of Commerce board. View Full Caption DNAinfo/Patty Wetli

NORTH CENTER — It pays to volunteer at Ribfest.

Just ask the Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club, which received a check for $5,683 from the Northcenter Chamber of Commerce, one of nine organizations to earn cash back for hours volunteered at the fest.

"You guys are the engine that makes things go," Lindsay Eanet, the chamber's associate director, told representatives from the various nonprofits during a celebratory breakfast Tuesday at Julius Meinl.

Ribfest is the chamber's largest fundraiser, supporting community events like the neighborhood's annual Easter egg hunt along with efforts aimed at promoting the area's businesses.

Patty Wetli explains how these festivals translate to big fundraisers for charity and community groups:

Without volunteers — who staff the fest's entrance gates and beer tents — "we would not be able to have such a successful event," said Maribel Selva, a member of the chamber's board of directors.

"You're our shining stars," she said.

Under the Ribfest Volunteer Grant Program, every organization that drums up 30 or more volunteers to cover one or more shift at the fest is awarded a cash grant.

In 2014, organizations participating in the program recruited 434 people to pour beer, check IDs and solicit donations at the gates.

"That is just astounding," said Eanet. "We have such a strong sense of community in our neighborhood."

Among those honored at Tuesday's event:

Thresholds, 4101 N. Ravenswood Ave., which works to help people with mental illness attain independence — $1,633.

Gigi's Playhouse, 3948 N. Lincoln Ave., a Down syndrome awareness center — $1,366.

St. Benedict Preparatory School, 3900 N. Leavitt St. — $2,783.

Lakeview Pantry, St. Andrew School, the Lane Tech Lacrosse Boosters and the Lane Tech PTSO also received grants. The total amount of money distributed in 2014 reached nearly $20,000.

Coonley Elementary, 4046 N. Leavitt St., was engaged in a friendly competition with the Boys & Girls Club, 2501 W. Irving Park Road, for volunteer supremacy.

The chamber appointed the two organizations, which have the most experience working the fest, as "gate captains," and offered the groups bonus points for the amount of donations taken at Ribfest's entrance points.

Bonnie Werstein, director of operations at the Boys and Girls Club, and Kathy Chapman, co-chair of Coonley's Parent Teacher Organization, actually coordinated their efforts to make sure all shifts were covered, with each organization drawing nearly 100 volunteers each.

Very little arm twisting is involved, Chapman said.

"It's fun. Everyone who does it says, 'Put me on the list next year,'" she said.

In the end, Coonley netted $5,633, just shy of the club's total.

"If we have to lose, we love losing to" the club, said Stephen Laslo, Coonley assistant principal.

The PTO will use its Ribfest windfall to pay for activities like parent-child dances, family bowling day and other events that "get families together," said Chapman.

The club puts the money in its general pot, which funds the organization's various recreational, social and educational programs, said Bill Abplanalp, director of development.

With the ink barely dry on the ceremonial checks, Selva was already rallying the troops for Ribfest 2015.

"I hope you're gearing up for next year," she said.

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