Bingo with the Mavericks

We are hosting our 3^rd annual Bingo with the Mavericks event on Wednesday, 12-12-12. What a fun night that will be!

This event is very family-oriented, and kid-friendly. The Missouri Mavericks hockey players call the Bingo, sell extra game cards and good luck charms, and mingle with the crowd. It’s fun for all and supports our critical life-saving services at the same time.

We are so grateful to the Mavericks for choosing Hope House as one of their charity partners again this year. We have had the opportunity to attend the Mavericks games and sell Chuck a Pucks, plus set up a booth to distribute our information to the fans.

Awareness is so critical in the fight against domestic violence and these opportunities to reach thousands of people with our services are so helpful.

Festivities start at 6PM at the Hilton Garden Inn in Independence (map it). You can purchase tickets online for $15 for adults, $10 for children under the age of 12. Ticket includes one reusable Bingo card and additional ones can be purchased from the Maverick players for $5.

Sponsorship opportunities start at $250 and are still available.  You can call Libby at 816-257-9334 for more information.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Spring Fling - April 16, 2011

Are you ready to head to Mexico? I know I am and you can join me on Saturday, April 16th as we present Spring Fling, Destination: Mexico.

This is our annual spring casino night which kicks off our event season. We moved the event into April hoping to avoid any chances of snow storms like we encountered last year. I am sure everyone remembers the spring snow storm we had last March? Yes, that was the day of our event and we were so blessed that over 160 people braved the weather and joined us in our festivities!

We will be at it again this year, playing roulette, craps, black jack, bingo and Texas hold ‘em. This year we’re very excited to be adding a giant plinko board and salsa dancing! So, there is something for everyone.

The doors will open at 6:30pm and gaming starts at 7pm. All festivities, including a live auction and prizes, will conclude by 10pm. Once again, the event will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Independence, which is exit #17, less than a mile off I-70.

We have wonderful event chairs, Tiffany Goddard and Courtney Goddard-Hawkinson, who are working hard to ensure the event is a huge success.

Sponsorships start at $500 and individual tickets are only $50 each and include a themed-cuisine buffet, gaming cash, two drink tickets and assigned seating. So plan on attending and having a fun filled evening, while helping Hope House provide desperately needed services to those whose lives have been impacted by domestic violence.

Sponsorships, tickets and more information are available on our website. Or you can contact Libby at 816-257-9334 or lconnor@hopehouse.net. We’re looking forward to seeing you on the 16th!

Feeding 104 People 3 Meals A Day

This week's guest blogger is Hope House Director of Marketing, Lee Marlin.

Hope House operates on an extremely small food budget: $17,000 a year. That number sounds like a lot when you look at your own personal budget, but let’s break it down. We feed 104 people 3 meals per day, every day of the year. So that breaks down to $46.58 per day, or 45¢ per person, or 15¢ per meal.

I’m pretty tight with a penny, but I can’t even buy Ramen noodles for 15¢! So how does Hope House do it?

We are fortunate to have concerned and caring individuals, businesses and organizations in our communities that help us.

1. They organize food drives at work or church.
2. They buy a few extra fruit or veggies for us at the farmers market.
3. They attend state or county fairs, buy livestock and donate it to us.

Upcoming state and county fairs in the area include:

In Missouri:

1. Cass County Fair in Pleasant Hill - July 13 – 18
2. Johnson County Fair in Warrensburg – July 5 – 10
3. Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, August 12 – 22
4. American Royal, October 2010

 In Kansas:

1. Wyandotte County Fair in Kansas City, July 27 – 31
2. Johnson County Fair in Gardner, August 2 – 7
3. Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson, September 10 – 19

Every little bit helps. If you have excess fruits and veggies from your own garden, we’re happy to take them off your hands. Fresh produce is a wonderful treat for our clients. Even two home-grown tomatoes could cause considerable excitement in our kitchens!

Spring Fling is Saturday, March 20

There are signs of Spring in the air and Hope House is ready. We are gearing up for our event Spring Fling Destination: The Orient!

Mark your calendar today for the place to be from 6:30PM to 10PM on Saturday, March 20, 2010! Enjoy roulette, black jack, Texas Hold 'Em, and craps. NEW SURPRISES are in store like celebrity bingo with KMBC’s news anchor Kris Ketz calling the numbers!  Prizes will be awarded to winners.

There will be a buffet with goodies like vegetarian lo mien, General’s chicken, fried rice, egg rolls and crab Rangoon. The signature drink for the evening is a Singapore Sling!

New this year is a silent auction Treasure Chest…an opportunity for the first 25 bidders at $35 to receive a prize valued at a minimum of $50. There will also be a live auction with awesome items like a unique Sgt. Pepper’s album cover reproduction with laser signatures of the Fab Four; a trip to Monterey, California; and tickets to see the SOLD OUT Taylor Swift concert at the Sprint Center, just to name a few. There are a total of 10 items.

Tickets are easy to get. You can go to our website at www.hopehouse.net  and click on Spring Fling, or contact Libby, our Special Events Manager at 816.257.9334. Tickets are only $50 each and that gets you $200 gaming “cash”, 2 drink tickets and assigned seating. There are other sponsorships available beginning at $500. You can learn more about that on the website or by calling Libby as well.

The event is at the Hilton Garden Inn in Independence, which is exit #17 (Little Blue Parkway) less than a mile off I-70. You can check in at 6:30 and gaming begins at 7:00. The proceeds from the evening’s festivities fund our operations. We are grateful for the support of the community in making this event a success and we look forward to seeing you there.