Rock Creek Conservancy’s Happy Hours for Good
Rock Creek Conservancy’s Rock Creek Gala is our biggest annual fundraiser. But we know fancy parties don’t fit into everyone’s lifestyle or budget. So in honor of the holidays, we hosted a few smaller, more low-key events to raise money for our advocacy, education, volunteer, and restoration programs.
#GivingTuesday Comes to Life
#GivingTuesday is normally a digital fundraising day for thousands of non-profits across the country, but we decided to bring our giving offline for our #GivingTuesday Happy Hour! The evening was generously hosted by Kingfisher, a bar in downtown D.C. Their trivia night and the free pizza that Pizzoli’s Pizzeria donated brought in a good crowd. We kept everyone energized with fun raffle items from Parks Project, which helped us bring in $150 in donations!
It helps that Ben Sislen, co-owner of Kingfisher, is generally happy to help local causes like ours:
“We are proud and honored to be able to support Rock Creek Conservancy. Growing up in D.C., Rock Creek Park has been a city oasis for me, and the Conservancy does extraordinary work to make the park beautiful and accessible. Kingfisher takes great pride in supporting local groups that work so hard to make our city a better place.”
In addition to donations and raffle ticket purchases, Kingfisher gave us $2 from each of the specialty cocktails they created that night in honor of Rock Creek Conservancy.
Meeting the New Year
To ring in the New Year, we paired up with a local Meet-Up group on a charity happy hour. J.T. Yaung, the organizer of the group, has been hosting charity happy hours for years:
“The 20s & 30s Going Out Group and 30s & 40s Going Out Group both support non-profit organizations because we’re firm believers that we can endorse good causes while having fun, socializing, and helping to foster a community. We typically raise funds for local non-profits because we believe in the importance of supporting the community within which we live, work, and play every day. Rock Creek Conservancy fits this local-support notion through its mission to ensure that Rock Creek, its parks, and the value it provides are well-preserved for current and future D.C. metro area residents and visitors.”
This event was another huge success. There were nearly 100 people at the event, all gathered to support our cause and meet new people with similar interests. The yoga and gym memberships we included in our raffle tied in nicely with everyone’s New Year’s resolutions, too. With the help of J.T. and the members of his Meet-Up group, we raised more than $582 in one evening. What a way to start off 2018!
Stay tuned!
If you like your D.C. drinking habits to go towards a good cause, then stay tuned! Because of the success of these two events, we’ll be hosting even more happy hours in the coming year. But don’t let your good deeds stop with a pint for Rock Creek. January 15 is the MLK Day of Service, and we’re organizing volunteer sites throughout the D.C. Metro Area. Want to volunteer with us? Email John Maleri at jmaleri@rockcreekconservancy.org for more information.
Written by Kate Arion
