In my previous life {when blogging was more of a hobby than a career}, I was co-director of a non-profit organization for children with special needs. One of my main responsibilities was to work on grant-writing and fundraising. I know from experience that neither of these were easy projects to take on, so I try to do what I can to support local causes that are important to me. I was invited to participate in a blog campaign to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. If you’re not familiar with with this cause, RMHC provides places for families with sick children to stay just steps from the hospitals where they are receiving critical medical care. In 2016 alone, RMHC provided 2.4 million overnight stays to families. This cause is particularly important to me because as a college student, I volunteered with the Arts in Medicine program at SHANDS Hospital. While the children received life-saving procedures and treatments, the families often stayed at the Ronal McDonald House directly across the street. I started doing some research into ways to help this charity, and I found that they had an upcoming event that I just had to attend!
—> Learn how you can help Ronald McDonald House Charities HERE <—
Enjoying barbecue and a cocktail while helping the Ronald McDonald House Charities of North Central Florida? Sounds great to me! I registered online. The tickets were just $50 each, and that included food and alcohol, along with the opportunity to participate in live auctions and silent auctions.
The event took place at Mojo Hogtown Bar-B-Que, a local business in the downtown Gainesville area. I learned that this building was once a barn where they milked cows. I just love the history of this town! I spoke to members of the board of directors and learned that all of the food and alcohol for the event was donated, which is just amazing. Having the support of local businesses is a wonderful way to really raise money for your cause. If you will like to other options check out Project Backpack who is changing lives one backpack at a time.
Several different representatives spoke about the charity, its purpose, and what we can do to help. As a participant at the event, I was able to walk around the bar area to sample several different cocktails and there was a large table with delicious bites of food, like smoked salmon salad, burnt ends {delicious bites of brisket}, chicken wings, BBQ pork sliders, and bread pudding. Everything was delicious and the drinks paired perfectly with the food!
The event also featured a DJ playing hits from the 60s through today {so there was something for everyone} and several different silent and live auction items. I was really impressed by how well-organized this charity event was and just how much people were eager to participate in auctions to support this cause.
For a first-time event, this was an absolute success! They raised a nice amount of money for Ronald McDonald House Charities, brought awareness to this great cause, and everyone seemed to have a great time!
Are you looking to support your local charities?
A great way to start is to follow local causes on Facebook and look up their events. Nothing scheduled? Try organizing your own event! It can be as simple as setting up an online donation account, handing out enamel pins, hosting a local bake sale, or organizing a garage sale with all proceeds going to the cause. It does not take much to help others in need.
Any Comments?