“Are you ready to raise some money?”
Jason Jackson’s voice boomed over the loudspeaker, drawing a chorus of cheers from the partygoers gathered in The Palm Room. The night of Saturday, Nov. 22, the Brigade Boys and Girls Club held its fifth annual Beach Bash fundraiser, an event attended by more than 100 supporters of the club. The fundraiser ran from 7:30 p.m. to midnight, and featured a silent auction, raffle, dinner and live music by local acoustic band Blood, Sweat and Beers. All proceeds — from the $20 admission to the auction to the raffle to the drinks sold that night — benefitted the nonprofit group and its mission.
Jackson, master of ceremonies and a longtime supporter of the club, repeated his question twice more to louder and louder cheers.
“Whatever the price is, pay it!” Jackson told the crowd. “Money is no object tonight!”
The Palm Room was awash in blue and green neon lights, filled with party noise and the mellow tones of the band’s guitar-driven alternative rock. Patrons in various modes of casual attire snapped selfies and group shots on their phones and cameras. Others milled and mingled, investigating the auction table and bickering playfully over who would bid on what.
“The most competitive item on that table’s going to be that surf-themed coat rack,” said Becky Terretti, co-owner/operator of TruClean Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning. “But for the guys, it’s got to be that … golf package. It’s four rounds of golf, a golf bag for the clubs and 12 golf balls — it’s got the works.”
TruClean donated a full-house carpet cleaning valued at $145 to the auction table.
“We’re also matching up to $500 on the raffle,” Terretti said. “We want to support the kids.”
In a back room of the bar, partially shielded from the noise by a wall, lay another table set with macaroni and cheese, green beans, barbecue, buns and brownies. Palm Room co-owner Tracey Hopkins prepared most of the food herself.
“I made everything but the barbecue!” Hopkins said.
“It’s probably the best macaroni and cheese I’ve ever had,” said attendee Kimberly Crockett between bites.
Palm Room owners Tracey Hopkins and Danny McLeod have hosted Beach Bash five years in a row, an arrangement Hopkins said is based on their friendship with the club’s marketing director Angie Hill.
“I’ve known Angie probably 15 years,” Hopkins said. “Me and Danny were looking for a charity to support, and because we don’t have any kids of our own, we decided to help out.”
With Hopkins and McLeod’s generosity, as well as that of the other attendees, Beach Bash raised more than $7,100 toward the Boys and Girls Club’s $8,000 goal.
Hill expressed a feeling of elation while watching the party in action.
“It feels wonderful,” Hill said. “People are doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. They’re passionate about the youth of the community and they’re putting their hearts into making Beach Bash a success.”
