What do you get when you add up 15 GivingMatters.com nonprofit organizations + 6 volunteer opportunities + 1 Party With A Purpose that boasted a fleet of Big Wheels and some Rollergirls amongst other things?
You guessed it, a jam-packed week called Yelp Helps!
We decided that the best way to celebrate our do-gooder ways was to throw a massive party for nearly 730 of our closest friends at Rocketown (which also happens to be one of our participating NPOs). Makes sense, right?
Everyone mixed and mingled, while interacting with some of Music City's finest noprofit organizations that included: Backfield in Motion, Center for Refugees and Immigrants of Tennessee, Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, Epilepsy Foundation of Middle and West Tennessee, Gordon Jewish Community Center, Hands on Nashville, Hospital Hospitality House, Magdelene, Inc. – Thistle Farms, Nashville Adult Literacy Council, Nashville Tools for Schools, Shelby Foundation, Sponsors Scholarship Program, Tennessee Repertory Theatre, and Nashville Clean Water Project.
We decided to spice things up with a friendly little competion amongst the yelpers and also the NPOs too! Attendees competed in 10 zany challenges that ranged from arm-wrestling the Nashville Rollergirls and Cielo Tequila Ring Toss to zooming around the race track with my co-emcee Neil McCormick of Yazoo Brewing Company's for the epic Big Wheel Championship. For each challenge that was successfully completed, yelpers earned votes that they could apply to their favorite NPO(s). At the end of the nightm the NPO that earned the most votes earned the title of 2013 Yelper's Choice NonProfit Organization and took home the majority of the cold hard cash raised from the evening.
Congratulations to Center for Refugees and Immigrants of Tennessee who took home half of the $2700 that was raised while each of the other NPOs took home a cool $100 each!
Let's talk food, shall we? There were plenty of tasty morsels and sweet treats to enjoy thanks to the following food sponsors: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, The Row Kitchen & Pub, The Clean Plate Club, Saffire Restaurant & Bar, The Southern Steak & Oyster, Spark Of Life Healing Foods, and Door 86 Vegan Cheese. And, we washed it all down and renergized with adult beverages and refreshments from these generous brands: Cielo Tequilas, Yazoo Brewing Company, Real Water, and Red Bull.
I must also give some high-fives to our dear friends at Music City Tents & Events, McNeely Piggott & Fox Public Relations, William Collier's, Lipman Brothers, Red Bull, Nashville Lifestyles, Claudia Kay Photo and NowPlayingNashville.com for being such fabulous event sponsors. Plus, I literally couldn't have done it without my partners in crime Jennifer Schwartzenberg, Laurel Fisher, and the entire GivingMatters.com.
As yelper Kate N points out, "What a fun event! This definitely ain't your mother's typical stuffy charity benefit—with brews from Yazoo, tequila cocktails from Cielo, and a Big Wheel race, Yelp Helps is quickly establishing itself as the coolest way to give back to the Nashville community."
If you missed out on all of this feel good philanthropy, be sure to check out the official recap video, yelper Brandon H's sweet recap, photobooth photos, and don't forget to peruse the reviews!
Until next time,
Marca M with representatives from the Tennessee Repertory Theatre
Yelp Nashville Sr. Community Manager
