Burgers and Beer Fundraiser

Finally...

Jeremiah's Family Fun Event: The Burgers and Beer Fundraiser!

We knew from way back that we wanted a fundraiser that families could go to since that's who we are and who he will mainly represent. Rose, the awesome campaign manager, is a member of the local VFW and she arranged for us to rent it for the event. We had different volunteers managing different aspects of the event, but as always, in the end, it was our core volunteers that carried the load. Thank you!

Rose and Jeremiah invited people personally and I did the internet advertising and invitations.

We were going to have a wheel of fortune at the event but in the end we didn't find any volunteers to run it so we dropped it. Instead, we made sure to bring Jeremiah's dad's all-terrain segway so that people could take rides along a coned obstacle course. I was also in charge of outdoor games and my awesome friends let me borrow ladder toss, a bounce house, and corn hole to set up alongside the horseshoe pit! I also bought facepaint and my sisters and cousin Ali volunteered to do that. I brought my hula hoops and balls and the kids just kept themselves busy with improptu kick ball and such. I think that part worked well!

We had a volunteer that was going to manage the food (from shopping through preparation and bring a staff to help him). He dropped out. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. So the week before, we made the plans and I did the shopping. I cooked the whole day beforehand. Several people helped make food (either at the event or they made it earlier and brought it). Jeremiah's brother Josh cooked burgers for hours, bless his heart!

We also had volunteers at check-in, videotaping, taking pics, setting up, and cleaning up. We could have used a volunteer coordinator (he was out of town) bc I was running around doing all the coordinating and letting people rotate. Jeremiah and Rose were awesome hosts and they greeted and cared for the guests. Jeremiah's mom helped me manage my own kids, which is major! His dad managed the segway rides the whole time and his sister Janessa helped with lots of little things. His aunt and uncle came down from PA to videotape the event and interview folks for material for a future campaign commercial. A campaign volunteer, Kat, worked the front door for a good long while and another campaign volunteer, Barbara, sold 50/50 raffle tickets to just about everyone! (Amber won the raffle and donated the money back to the campaign. Awesome!) And at the end of the night, Julie and Heather helped us schlep everything back to our house and unpack it. That is the part most often overlooked but most appreciated!

Thank you to everyone who helped, in ways big and small. The crowd was mostly friends and family with a few politicos and several local families that we hadn't met but were coming out for the cause. There were also some supporters from the business association and the local democrats club. So it was a successful campaign event and a good modest fundraiser. It was a really fun time but I'm still glad it's over.

I hear that the best fundraisers are ones where someone else hosts you and you just show up. I bet! We're still home-grown with this campaign but we're moving right along.

Afterwards, we had a lot of food left over, including some stuff that hadn't been opened yet. I took it to a food bank at a local church so it can go to families in the community, like we intended!

Aunt Bea and Cousin Ali at the facepainting table. In the background you can see several kids playing together. Good times!

Jeremiah's dad worked the segway rides and J. got to ride it "by herself".

My sister Molly painting my dad's arm. In the back ground are people from different families, including my cousin Luke. It's so fun to have these big parties and see so many people that you like from different realms come together!

That might be the last fundraiser because the Primary is in two weeks and we're totally drained. Even if we had more money, our resources are stretched thin to do amazing things with them. I think we're going to focus on the money and resources that we have right now (which is still pretty sweet) and try to accomplish the goals that we have left. As the calendar approaches September, we're in the home stretch! (scary!)