On Monday, April 11, the Junior Board kicked off their annual fundraiser, the Bus Campaign, at THE TapRoom at Lagunitas. The Bus Campaign is when the Junior Board is split into teams of 2 or 3 and assigned to a specific school. Junior Board members then ask their friends, families, and co-workers for donations to offset the high cost of busing our Urban Initiatives’ Work to Play game days. Until the end of May, these teams will compete to see who can raise the most money for their school.
The event kicked off the competitive nature of the Bus Campaign. The more people who purchased a ticket and showed up supporting a specific Junior Board member, the more money went toward that team.
Attendees had the option of riding a school bus from downtown to Lagunitas and enjoyed a “bagged lunch” to incite the nostalgia of riding the bus to and from sports events and field trips as a kid. During the event, Executive Director Jim Dower introduced the first ever Bus Campaign video (available here) and encouraged the Junior Board to remember that the more money they raise, the more opportunities kids in Urban Initiatives’ programs have to interact with different kids in neighborhoods across the city.
To make the night even better, net proceeds of the beer purchased at Lagunitas went directly back to Urban Initiatives. Special thanks to Lagunitas Brewing Company for their generosity and excitement around the Bus Campaign Kickoff Party. The night was a great way to get people excited about raising money for a good cause.