When I first started to plan out the big events for my Boston Marathon fundraising campaign, I knew I wanted to do something at a bar. It’s an easy environment that guarantees a good time and a good turnout. But I wanted something else that added to the atmosphere and I couldn’t think of anything better than some live music!

I decided to reach out to one of my favorite live bands in Boston, (BearFight) who often perform at one of my favorite bars, (The Lansdowne Pub). I went to my first BearFight show at Lansdowne a couple summers ago and really loved their set list, but more importantly how much fun they were having on stage. It was one big party that night. I followed them on Instagram after that and stayed up-to-date on future shows and events they were hosting, one of which was a fundraiser for ALS. Turns out they are really good friends with Pete Frates and even played at his wedding! I knew I had to have them be a part of my event, it would just be so perfect 🙂

Band & bar…check! Now it was time to plan out the raffle baskets and reach out to every company for donations. This was one of the more stressful parts of the process because I wanted to create prizes that were generic enough for anyone and worth the price of buying tickets. You gotta give the people some nice ass prizes, right?! It all worked out though and I was blown away by the generosity of the companies that donated. It was just so amazing.

Here’s a breakdown of the 9 baskets/silent auction raffles:

1. #BostonStrong
$40 Marathon Sports GC
$75 Wellness in Motion GC
3-Class Pack for Mystryde
‘Stronger’ DVD
Boston Strong t-shirt
Right on Hereford, Left on Boylston Magnet

2. USA! USA! USA!
US Ski Team Hat & Gloves
US Ski Team Hand Warmers
Winter Olympics/Skiing Magazines

3. Family Bonding Starter Pack
Card Games & Board Games
Snacks: Popcorn & Candy
$25 HBOGO/HBONOW GC

4. Rise & Grind
1 Free Month at YogaWorks
$25 Flour GC
Boston Starbucks mug & Starbucks coffee

5. Wine & Dine Like An Italian
$50 Eataly GC for the marketplace & restaurants
Pasta, Sauce, Olive Oil, Cookies, Cookbook – the works!

6. Who’s Gonna Let the Dog Out?
Mary & Mutts GC (dog-walking service)
Toys & Treats

7. Smile for the Camera!
Free 2-hr Fashion Photography Portrait Session with Gina Manning

8. #RunBoston
A TON of New Balance gear: 3 jackets, 2 pairs of leggings, 2 tops, 1 tank, 4 pairs of socks, and a hat.

9. Go Sox! Silent Auction
Autographed Dustin Pedroia (#15) baseball

Pretty nice stuff, right? I did a ton of promotion for the event on my social channels the week of & day of to announce the final baskets and to get people excited! I cannot thank all of the companies that donated and all of my friends/coworkers that made these baskets possible – you are the true MVPs! 

Fast forward to the night of the event and I was ready to relax and have a good time. I got to mingle with everyone, have a couple beers, and snack on some Irish apps courtesy of The Lansdowne Pub 🙂

We opened the raffles to everyone at the bar and got a ton of people to buy extra tickets. (Thanks, Biz!) The band even made an announcement for me because I was a littleeee scared to get up on stage myself. After we announced all the winners, we got to just enjoy the band for the rest of the night. A couple beers and embarrassing Snapchats later, we peaced out to grab some street meat outside Fenway. Honestly don’t know how I’ve never had one of these sandwiches before….(Thanks, Marc!)

I woke up the next morning to tally everything up and was blown away by the total – we raised $1,058!!! Now you understand why I started this post with a “WOW!” I had a smile on my face for the rest of the weekend and was on such a high from all the love. I’m so lucky to have such amazing people here that give me endless support. Truly grateful for all you have done and I hope one day I get to return the favor ❤ ❤ ❤

I have one more big event to go next week and I’m about $1,600 away from my end goal of $7,500. Almost there!!

Check out my Crowdrise page to donate & help me get even closer to that goal: http://bit.ly/BostonBeginnings262