Mary & Martha House, a South Hillsborough nonprofit providing shelter and comprehensive support for women and families fleeing domestic violence, is preparing for two major fall fundraisers aimed at strengthening services for residents.
The first event, Musical Bingo Night, is set for Thursday, September 24, at 7 p.m. at Bullfrog Creek Brewing Co., located at 3632 Lithia Pinecrest Rd. in Valrico. Unlike traditional bingo, players match songs instead of numbers. Bill Chini, executive director for the Mary & Martha House, described this unique fundraiser as “bingo meets Shazam.”
“Instead of calling out letters and numbers, the host plays a song. Once you recognize the song, you look to see if you have that song on your bingo card, then boop, mark it down,” said Chini. “If you don’t recognize the song, you can use the Shazam app on your phone. Winners get gift cards to local restaurants.”
Registration is not required, but Chini encourages attendees to arrive early.
“You do not need to register for this event, but be sure to get there early so you can secure a seat and have enough time to look at which of the awesome raffle prizes you want to bid on,” said Chini.
The organization aims to raise $3,000 at this event.
“These funds are crucial to allow us to continue serving our community and help our shelter residents break the cycle of abuse,” said Chini.
The second fundraiser, Get Tee’d Off at Domestic Violence, will take place on Thursday, October 15, from 5-7 p.m. at Topgolf, located at 10690 Palm River Rd. in Tampa. The event includes dinner, door prizes and raffles. Sponsorships are available through MaryBeth Lukie at mblukie@yahoo.com or 813‑845‑4038. Reserving a full bay at this event is $499, and individual tickets are also available for purchase.
“Each bay allows for six golfers. Each golfer gets delicious meal,” said Chini. “We are hoping to see around 120 attendees. We have been very successful in the past and tickets sell fast for this event. Everyone has a great time!”
Sponsors include Anticus Engineering, Ryan Companies, Hillsborough College HCC Southshore, Chadwell Supply, Seacoast Bank and A&A Mortgage.
“We are always looking for other sponsors, and also raffle prize sponsors,” he said.
Chini said the fundraisers help support the organization’s growing programs.
“These events are so important to ensure we have the funds to support our shelter residents,” said Chini. “Without the help and support of our community, we wouldn’t be able to provide the services we currently provide. Over the past five years we have expanded our support services, most notably our program, Break The Cycle, which gives our shelter residents the tools and knowledge to achieve complete independence and thrive in our community.”
More information is available at https://marymarthahouse.org/ or 813‑560‑1874.
You must be logged in to post a comment.