AJ Golembeski, assistant athletic director for fan engagement and revenue development with UIS Athletics, and Jeff Ambrose, senior business loan officer with CEFCU, join Elizabeth Wake on Community Voices to talk about the CEFCU Prairie Stars Kids Club. The $30 membership gives kids up to eighth grade free admission to UIS home sporting events, along with a Kids Club T-shirt, member kit, game-day activities, attendance prizes, and opportunities to get involved with the teams. The guests discuss how the Kids Club is bringing families back to UIS Athletics and how the partnership with CEFCU is helping make those experiences possible. For more information or to register, visit the Prairie Stars Kids Club homepage.
Elizabeth Wake:
This is Community Voices on NPR Illinois, the program where you get to know your neighbors. I'm Elizabeth Wake. Today in the studios, I'm joined by AJ Golembeski with UIS Athletics and Jeff Ambrose with CEFCU. Before we start, I do want to share that CEFCU is a financial sponsor of NPR Illinois. We'll be talking today about the CEFCU Prairie Star Kids Club at UIS. Welcome, AJ and Jeff. Let's start by having each of you introduce yourself, your title, and what you do. AJ?
AJ Golembeski:
So yeah, hi, I'm AJ Golembeski. I am the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan Engagement and Revenue Development within UIS Athletics. It's a pretty hefty title, but basically what that means is I oversee our game days from tickets, concessions to halftime promotions and everything in between. And then I go ahead and implement all of our sponsors' activations within their contracts into our game day.
Elizabeth Wake:
Very cool. All right. Jeff?
Jeff Ambrose:
Hi, Jeff Ambrose with CEFCU. I'm a senior business loan officer, so I focus on commercial lending and helping our business clients. I've been with CEFCU for about 20 years in some management capacity, primarily with a focus on business, especially in the last five years or so. And glad to be here with you today.
Elizabeth Wake:
Yeah, great. we are all here today because CEFCU is sponsoring the Prairie Stars Kids Club at UIS. So Aj, can you tell us a little bit more about what that is?
AJ Golembeski:
Yeah, so the kids club is something that UIS Athletics and CEFCU has partnered on in the past. And around 2017, it kind of fell off. We had a lot of turnover within the athletic department. But now we're kind of getting our feet back on the ground, getting that community initiative going again. CEFCU has been a great partner with us and I'm excited to see where this will take us over these next couple years. But as of right now, the kids club is just a fun way for young fans to be involved in our game days. Everything from national anthem buddies to pregame rebounding to even the CEFCU Prairie Star Kids Club Kids Zone. There's an inflatable table with UIS themed coloring book pages and then like a mini basketball hoop. And it's just kind of a space where kids can go enjoy themselves during the game day and parents can kind of stay at an arm's length, enjoy the game, keep an eye on their kid. That just kind of turned it into a family event. I think that's something that UIS athletics games has been missing and we're excited to have that community back involved in our games.
Elizabeth Wake:
Yeah, I think I mean, I have a four-year-old myself. I think it sounds pretty ideal. What is the cost of the kids club?
AJ Golembeski:
So it costs $30 to be a part of the kids club. And what you're getting for that price is free admission to all of our sports games. It's an all event pass season pass. And you along with registration. You get a Kids Club t-shirt, an ID card, and a lanyard, the official Kids Club poster, and then attendance prizes at each of these games that you come to. So we have 10 tiers of prizes. So your first game, you get a free popcorn from concessions, and that works all the way up. So if you make it out to 10 games in a year, you get $10 off your registration for next year. And yeah, we've got a bunch of little prizes for each of those days, ranging from pennants to cups and water bottles and cool promo items like that.
Elizabeth Wake:
Nice. Is there an age range, a cutoff?
AJ Golembeski:
There's no minimum, but the maximum is 8th grade, so that makes you 13 or 14.
Elizabeth Wake:
Yeah, okay.
AJ Golembeski:
So yeah, anywhere, anybody younger than 8th grade, maybe younger than 13.
Elizabeth Wake:
Okay, very cool. So you mentioned like pennants and a t-shirt and tickets to games. Are these all home games? Is it home and away?
AJ Golembeski:
Yes, this is home games only.
Elizabeth Wake:
Okay, so to home games only. And I noticed on the website, which what is the website people can go to?
AJ Golembeski:
Yeah, if you guys are interested in signing up, head on over to uisprairiestars.com/kidsclub.
Elizabeth Wake:
Okay, so I was looking on the website and it has like a member kit. So that includes like the t-shirts and the tickets. Is there anything else in the member kit?
AJ Golembeski:
The kit comes along with a kids club poster and then that punch card for those attendance prizes.
Elizabeth Wake:
Okay, and then there was also like game day perks. What does that include?
AJ Golembeski:
Yes, so that's your free admission to all of our home games that access to the Prairie Star or the CEFCU Prairie Star Kids Zone. The attendance based prizes as you show up, you just present your punch card and we'll have those ready for you there. We have pregame high-five tunnel with the team, national anthem buddies, and then pregame rebounding for basketball. You could be a ball runner for soccer. We've got a bunch of different ways that we can engage the kids in the area.
Elizabeth Wake:
Oh, that's really fun. So you're not just watching the game, you're really a part of it.
AJ Golembeski:
Right, and it's not something that you're automatically enrolled in. So if you have a shyer kid who's maybe not so inclined to be out on the field in front of everybody, It's definitely totally up to you guys. Whatever your engagement wants to be, we can make it happen.
Elizabeth Wake:
Okay. And I also saw that there's like some exclusive experiences. What are those and how can kids get those?
AJ Golembeski:
Yeah, so I mean, you get them when you join the kids club. That is special birthday PA shout outs. So if you wanted to host a birthday party or if you had a birthday a couple days before the game, we'll shout you out over PA. And then we've got postgame autograph sessions on our youth days. All those kind of perks kind of fall in with the membership.
Elizabeth Wake:
Nice. Oh, that sounds so fun. So how do you sign up?
AJ Golembeski:
Sign up by visiting UIS Prairie Stars. and then there's a register now button that will redirect you to our ticket processor hometown and you can buy the tickets there.
Elizabeth Wake:
Okay, very cool. Is there any cutoff date for the season? Can people register all season long?
AJ Golembeski:
No, registration's open all season long. I'd recommend signing up before the basketball season as that's our last ticketed season. Going into the spring, we don't ticket sports outside of softball when they're playing at the Shield Sports Dome and flag football when they're out there as well. So I think just to get the best value, I would sign up before the basketball season starts.
Elizabeth Wake:
Okay, and when does that start?
AJ Golembeski:
Our first basketball game I want to say is November 9th.
Elizabeth Wake:
Okay, so try to sign up before November to get the best value. And you mentioned the Shields Sports Dome, which is a really hot topic right now. I'm very excited to go out there. So the home games include games at the Dome.
AJ Golembeski:
Yes.
Elizabeth Wake:
Oh, very cool. Because I've been wanting to go out there.
AJ Golembeski:
Yeah, it was a lot of fun last year, being able to go out there with softball. They had their first 10 games out there in the Dome, and it was nice in February to not be freezing our toes off trying to run those game days.
Elizabeth Wake:
Absolutely.
AJ Golembeski:
It's been a good partnership for us as well.
Elizabeth Wake:
Now, do the kids or the parents need to have any association with UIS to get this?
AJ Golembeski:
No, anybody, anybody can join that.
Elizabeth Wake:
Okay.
AJ Golembeski:
CEFCU Prairie Star Kids Club.
Elizabeth Wake:
All right, excellent. And this program is sponsored by CEFCU, correct?
AJ Golembeski:
Yes.
Elizabeth Wake:
Okay, so we do have Jeff, who is with us from CEFCU. And Jeff, for those who have no idea what CEFCU is or what it means, tell us a little bit more about it.
Jeff Ambrose:
Well, CEFCU is a local credit union. So we are a financial institution that our mission is to better the financial needs of our members. And so we, one of our missions is to support the communities that we work and live in. And so this has been a great fit to be, part of the kids club and titled the CEFCU Kids Club has a great ring.
Elizabeth Wake:
Yeah, it does.
Jeff Ambrose:
We stretch from north into the Peoria and Bloomington market, east all the way to Champaign, and then south through basically like 55 down through some of our southern counties into Metro East. So kind of through upper central Illinois all the way through to the Metro East area?
Elizabeth Wake:
Wow, that's a big coverage area. So CEFCU is supporting the CEFCU Prairie Stars Kids Club. And what specifically drew CEFCU to support this program?
Jeff Ambrose:
Well, I know CEFCU has supported the UIS athletics in the past in various capacities. And so I think this was just another great opportunity to partner with UIS to show our support for the members in our community. So the people that are coming to these games the people who have kids that are coming to be a part of the CEFCU Kids Club are also our members out there in the community. And so that's a great way for us to continue to give back to those folks.
Elizabeth Wake:
Yeah. Oh, I love that. And what do you hope that the community itself gains from the program?
Jeff Ambrose:
Well, you know, I think it's been a really long-standing tradition here in Springfield to have families in the community be involved with UIS, not only the academic university, but the sports programs. I mean, I can remember when it was SSU and the soccer program, all the youth teams were out there being ball boys and the athletics has certainly just continued to grow and expand with all the with all the sports that they've added over the years. But it's just great to see the community be involved and support the local university here in Springfield.
Elizabeth Wake:
Yeah, now you and I were chatting before the interview and you played soccer for UIS back in the day, right?
Jeff Ambrose:
So I played two years at UIS, I think just before maybe it was a four-year university and so that was we were still in NAIA and so glad to be back and again have a personal story to tie to our support here for the athletics program and my oldest daughter now is in that college age, so there's a few players out on the soccer field that we come and support now that I've been out of it for quite some time.
Elizabeth Wake:
Yeah, but that's such a fun connection and seeing how the athletics program has grown and now growing this kids club. I think that it is just so fun that Springfield can be so connected and that businesses like CEFCU are so willing to give back to the community and allow these things to run and be possible. So thank you for that. What drives CEFCU to get involved in programs like this?
Jeff Ambrose:
I think the primary thing is part of one of our missions is people helping people as a credit union philosophy. And so this is just another way that we can help those people in our community, not only our members, but just our community as a whole. And I think that it's very important for businesses to be involved in supporting those universities that are helping to educate our local population, are helping to drive jobs in the market. And hopefully a financial institution like us is looking for these really smart graduates that are coming out of the UIS program.
Elizabeth Wake:
Yeah, well that's great. Now, because CEFCU is a financial sponsor of NPR Illinois, that allows us to continue programs just like Community Voices that we're on right now. So thank you for doing that. You've been supportive of NPR Illinois. You're supportive of our athletics department. Let's go back, AJ, and reiterate, how can people sign up for the CEFCU Prairie Stars Kids Club?
AJ Golembeski:
Yeah, if you guys head on over to uisprairestars.com/kidsclub. You can get all that information there. And there's a link to register as well.
Elizabeth Wake:
Okay. And let's just one more time walk through what the CEFCU Prairie Stars Kids Club is, just kind of a brief overview.
AJ Golembeski:
Yeah, it's a fun way for kids and families to make memories, show their UIS spirit and be a part of the Prairie Star family.
Elizabeth Wake:
I love that. Well, I am very excited to get my child involved and get out to some of these games. I think it's a great way to get families out there. And sometimes, you know, you just want to enjoy the game and give your kids something to do. So their attention spans are not as long as ours. So having those things in place, I think this is a wonderful idea. Is there anything that either of you would like to add today that you want to make sure that our listeners know.
Jeff Ambrose:
I appreciate you having us here today and we are very happy to partner with UIS Athletics and the CEFCU Kids Club and so thank you for your time.
Elizabeth Wake:
Yes, well thank you both so much for being here today. We really appreciate your time. Thanks.
AJ Golembeski:
Thanks for having us.
Melissa Snider:
Community Voices is events you might have missed and conversations with neighbors, artists and area businesspeople. You can suggest a guest or comment at communityvoices@nprillinois.org. Get to know your neighbors with Community Voices weekdays at noon and 10 P.m., Saturdays from 5 to 7 P.m. and on demand at nprillinois.org.
Jeff Williams:
You're listening to Community Voices, Randy Eccles. Tim Boll, Ko'u Hopkins, contributors like Craig McFarland, Elizabeth Wake, co-hosts Melissa Snider, and me, Jeff Williams. Community Voices is events that you might have missed. It's conversations with neighbors, artists, and area businesspeople, and potentially you. Or do you know of a certain someone who you just may want to recommend for a segment on Community Voices? Suggest a guest or comment at communityvoices@nprillinois.org. Get to know your neighbors with Community Voices. Weekdays at noon and 10pm. Saturdays at 5pm. and on demand at nprillinois.org. W-U-I-S 91.9 FM. And thank you for your support. Community Voices is a production of NPR Illinois.
Dialogue transcribed by Microsoft Speech Service, an AI feature of Microsoft Word. Reviewed by humans for readability and accuracy.
