Coming up with fresh ways to fundraise can be difficult. There are only so many charity walks, dinners and parties you can do every year – both as an organizer and a participant – before they become tired.
826LA definitely figured out how to inject new energy into their fundraising, throwing a paddleboat “regatta” in Echo Park last Sunday. Teams, with names like Knotty Girls, Team McCheeks and Inna Regatta Da Vida, signed up online for the race. Participants solicited their friends and family for donations to help them win.
Since the boats were deemed to old and valuable to withstand the aggression of actual racing, the paddling itself was more of a pageant. The teams who raised the most money paddled last, soaking up their glory under the hot Los Angeles sun. Our team, the Causecastic Interns, raised $1,535. We didn’t quite take first place, but the Causecastic Interns were more than pleased to beat the team formed by Causecast’s staff.
After weeks of fundraising, the real competition on Sunday was who could show the most team spirit. There were teams of ducks, pirates, sailors and bees. Some of them had chants while others waved large sparkly flags.
At first our team was hesitant to get into costumes on a day that wasn’t Halloween, but I love dressing up. Interning at Causecast has been great because everyone here is too warm and accepting to say anything about my “fashion” choices. In the end we settled on being nerds (in honor of the internet-orientation of our jobs), and collectively rocked the look hardcore.
After all the pageantry and celebration, over $26,000 was raised for 826LA. The organization provides free drop-in tutoring to students’ ages 6 to 18, supporting the development of their creative and expository writing skills.
Tags: ie silliness in the name of 826la
