mindpollution.org

This post is going to be a short one, as I’m still recuperating from this weekend’s chaotic, sleep-deprived happenings. The results are in, however, and we raised more than $2000 during Saturday’s three-hour event. According to the final count, almost 200 people attended the Tim Gray Memorial Fundraiser - so many, in fact, that the venue was forced to turn people away for a short period of time. In addition to raising nearly $1000 in admission-based donations, we raised another $1000 through the raffle and assorted donations by attendees. Tess, the owner of the Lark Tavern, was the most kind, accommodating host one could ask for - even though the massive crowds of fundraiser attendees crowded all of her regular patrons out of the building. We raffled off hundreds of dollars in prizes donated by local businesses (and we can’t thank them enough for their generosity), and ended up raising more than three times the sum we decided beforehand would qualify the night as a success. It was frantic at times, especially considering this was the largest event I’d ever had a hand in organizing and, for some unknown reason, I played the role of both master of ceremonies and media liaison, but we pulled it off. To be honest, it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, as planning for this event has been a daily part of my life for at least six months now.

I intend to put together a more detailed post once I recover a bit, complete with photos and, hopefully, some video. Jessica was good enough to divide her time between selling raffle tickets and recording the event with her shiny new digital videocamera, so I’m curious to see what ended up on the record. For now, I’m going to rely on the ol’ “Mastercard Method” for summing up the night:

One centrally located music venue: $0

One amazing local band: $0

One amazing NYC-based band: $0

More than $500 in raffle prizes: $0

Weeks of promotion in local radio, tv and print media: $0

More than $2000 of donations: $0

Faith in my friends, family and fellow man raised to a brand new level: Priceless