Our First Fundraiser

Our first ever fundraiser was a success. On January 12th Janina Lee and I (with some help from Janina's son) sold raffle tickets at the Erie Otters game at Erie Insurance Arena. I had purchased a $25 gift card from The Plymouth to give away. 

Who doesn't love The Plymouth?

The staff from the Otters' organization and the folks who work at the arena were very helpful. Ticket sales were slow at first, then during the second intermission we figured out that we needed to be much louder and more aggressive. We also got an assist from Shooter, the Otters mascot.

Shooter, Janina, and Bob selling raffle tickets at the Erie Otters game January 12, 2014

We ended up making $35, which doesn't sound like much but remember we are starting from scratch here. We pulled a winning ticket at the end of the second intermission. The winner was Kirk Nevins, who decided to donate the card back to us, saying he wanted to "pay it forward". I really tried to get him to take it but he simply refused.  I told him this was going to really help our organization because we would use the gift card to hold another raffle. 

Clutch (The Erie Bayhawks' mascot), Kirk Nevins, Janina, and Bob, trying to give away the gift card.

While we were at the arena, I had several conversations with residents and former residents of our neighborhood. The picture of Baker's Field on our display table really started some conversations, as people recounted their stories of growing up and playing in the neighborhood. It was great to be out talking to people and representing our group. 

So in the end we made $60, including the value of the gift card. In addition, the Otters have donated 2 tickets to an upcoming game that we are going to raffle off at a later date.