COMMITTEE UPDATES ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE

By Megan Micco, Co-Chair

The Activities Committee held the 32nd Annual YLS Charity Event on April 21, 2023. This year, the beneficiary of the event was Athletes Serving Athletes, a non-profit organization whose mission is to elevate the quality of life for individuals with limited mobility by empowering them to train for and participate in mainstream running events.

The MSBA YLS once again returned to Gertrude’s Restaurant to host the event and was fortunate to have had perhaps the best weather of the 2023 season to date, complete with bright sunshine, 80-degree temperatures, and a pleasant breeze to keep guests comfortable.

This year, the MSBA YLS implemented a new event layout, which focused the fun and activities outside in Getrude’s beautiful garden and patio space, while still offering mix and mingle opportunities in the indoor portion of the restaurant. During the event, Gertrude’s catered a delicious selection of food and drinks, while guests enjoyed live music by Off the Ladder. Guests were also able to capture even more of their event memories this year thanks to a photo booth (complete with plenty of costume options!) hosted by Snap Happy Photo Booth.

Due to its success in years past throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we once again hosted a silent auction online. But, this year, we offered an extended silent auction, which went live on the morning of the event and was kept open through the weekend to generate a wider reach, allow more time for bidding on all of the fantastic donated items, and ultimately increase our profits to Athletes Serving Athletes. The link to the silent auction website was provided to attendees on the morning of the event, and QR codes to access the auction website were also dispersed throughout the venue, so guests could browse the generously donated items and place their bids while mixing and mingling.

Thanks to the hard work of our committee members and the generosity of our attendees, sponsors, and donors, the Activities Committee was able to raise more than $13,000 for Athletes Serving Athletes! We are grateful to have been able to join our friends and colleagues for another successful event and to work with and support such a deserving organization as Athletes Serving Athletes. In the true spirit of Athletes Serving Athletes, we are thrilled to say that “Together, We Finish[ed]” and made the MSBA YLS’s 32nd Annual Charity Event a success and a night to remember!

In addition to the silent auction, guests were invited to participate in a ticket raffle to benefit Athletes Serving Athletes. For cash donations, guests received raffle tickets to be entered into a raffle. At the end of the night, one lucky person won a gift card to Gertrude’s Restaurant.