About Us

In 2015, Sparkie, the 2015 Illinois Community Bootblack, organized a unique fundraising event to conclude his title year. He reached out to his friend, Blackjack, who runs the Get Your Black On Charity, and enlisted the help of his soon-to-be wife, Girl Becky. Together, they created the Midwest Bootblack Round-Up with support from CLAW Nation. The event raised $1,600 for three charities and a former IMsBB needing assistance. However, for personal reasons, Blackjack decided to step down from his role as Producer before the next event. After the first event's success, the name was changed to "Bootblack Round-Up" to welcome Bootblacks from all over. The 2nd Annual Bootblack Round-Up was held at J.J.'s Clubhouse and Bar in St Louis, Missouri, and raised $2,000 for Pets Are Wonderful Support, Get Your Black On, and Mr Friendly. The 3rd Annual Bootblack Round-Up raised $1,130.33 for four charities: Leather Heart Foundation, CLAW, Leather Archives and Museum, and Broadway Youth Center. The 4th Annual Bootblack Round-Up raised $550 and was a more intimate and educational weekend. The charities supported were the Leather Archives and Museum and CLAW Corp. Due to COVID-19, the 5th and 6th Annual Bootblack Round-Ups were held virtually, raising over $1k each for various charities. The 7th Annual Bootblack Round-Up in 2022 was held in Baltimore, MD, and raised over 7k for M.A.D.I.F. The following year, the event occurred again in Baltimore, MD, and featured three days of Bootblack Fun, including a pool and pizza party, the Carter/Johnson Leather Library, and more.