I have been participating in the Relay For Life of Davis Islands for the past three years now and this year, I became a Captain of our team at work. In past years, we have raised $10,000+ and this year, I was determined to blow that amount OUT OF THE WATER! A large majority of our money raised has always come from our personal fundraising and our “Fun’d Fridays”. These are days we have at work where students can bring in a minimum of $1 donation to participate in activities like “Crazy Hat Day” or “Donut Day”. Knowing that it was going to take a little extra pushing in order to break the $10,000 mark, I had to be smart about how to raise the extra dough. After thinking a long while about my options, I began researching places in the Tampa area that hold “Spirit Nights” or Fundraisers.
The first stop on my list HAD TO BE Hamburger Mary’s in Ybor. Check out our previous post, Bingo With A Drag, for tips and info about Bingo Nights!
Since our Relay Event takes place in April, we decided to schedule TWO Bingo Nights, one in the fall and one in the spring, so we could make some money towards our goal. The first night we played, Melanie Minyon was our host and we brought in around $800. She was great fun, energetic and brought a fun crowd. **Warning to all parents/ churchgoers, this is NOT a children’s event, and if you don’t have an open mind, you may want to skip this Bingo game and hit up your local church night instead. The language gets pretty raunchy, especially after the booze has been flowing.** Our second night, which brought in upwards of $1,300 had Amy Demilo as our host. For whatever reason, this gal brings in QUITE the crowd and people were MORE THAN WILLING to empty their wallets for her on behalf of Relay For Life! We have ALWAYS had an awesome time playing bingo and did I mention, the margaritas and burgers are pretty great too! Getting their early allows you the time to get your food/drink orders in before the craziness of the games begin. Expect to be playing until about 9:30pm, if you want to stay all ten games and get your money worth!
After raising so much money at Bingo, I began researching other Tampa locations that would be willing to host our team for a “Spirit Night”. What was so great was the fact that there are a BUNCH of establishments in our area that are willing to help a brotha out! WHO KNEW??! The first one I found was You Say When Yogurt Shoppe in Soho. Checkout Fans Of The Froyo, a previous post from Allison for more on their great desserts!
Recently under new ownership, the shop is AWESOME! The new owners, Abby and her husband, were nothing but helpful in getting us set up for a day at their business where we would receive a percentage of the profits made from the day. All we had to do was advertise to get our friends and family to grab a treat! This brought in a bit of extra dough, and was sooo delicious. It was easy to set up and minimal effort on our part. A great way to bring in extra bucks!
Red Elephant Cafe (a restaurant that is still pretty new to the South Tampa area), was also willing to have a “Spirit Night” with our team. By dining in or taking out your lunch or dinner, we were also able to earn a portion of the proceeds to donate to our Relay team. There is a wide variety of dishes on the menu from sandwiches and salads to burgers and pizza, so there is sure to be something on there for everyone! My dealings with Kris were effortless and he was such a HUGE help! In addition, his team was able to create advertisements that I could send out to help spread the word of our “Share Event” as they call it. The food was good, service was quick and it was another great way to raise money for Relay. A great update on this place is that they JUST started serving breakfast everyday. I am excited to stop in for a quick bite before heading out for a fun day of sun at the beach! Stay tuned!
So get out there and SPREAD SOME SPIRIT!
– Nicholas
NHIE Guys 