Dragon Beer Swap (for Charity)

[MINIFIED]

I've got my 2 cases, I'm ready, LET'S GO! :dance:

... but realizing I really have no need for 24 bottles of a variety of swapped beers, here's my idea ..

The Dragon Beer Swap at the "MINIFIED station" Saturday night will go 100% towards a charity I'm supporting at my church*

Now knowing my church has less need for beer than I do, here's my plan ..

You may swap out for my beer for a CASH contribution/donation.
You may swap out my beer for your beer -- which then hopefully someone else will want to swap for a CASH contribution/donation.

The plan is to turn all my beer into CASH -- perhaps not a more "liquid" asset, but one that will help the cause a little more directly.

Hopefully this raises more cash than I've spent, but 100% will be donated regardless ..

Of course cash and beer donations in any amount toward the cause will be gladly accepted!

Thanks in advance for your support!

-susan
MINIFIED

* For more details about the project and the charities selected this year, see this link:
http://www.gethope.net/Mina2008.htm

[1QukMINI]

The charity I have chosen for us to support as an event has been Blood:Water Mission, an organization building clean water wells and providing much needed HIV and Malaria medication to children in Africa dying on a daily basis for lack of these things. It gives us a more worldview of charity, and as someone in the coffee industry, see it as a holistic approach to further helping those from whom I benefit from.
That's not to say I want to poo-poo someone else's charity, I checked out this charity, and it sounds like a cool thing. I actually visited with Hope Community Church this past year to talk with them about switching to our coffee in their coffeehouse, so i know a good bit about the church. So, I am in a dilemma. I know we need to be supporting things in our neck of the woods, but our problems here don't change the problems kids in Africa are dealing with and have been dealing with over the last 10+ years. So, I would be apt to say that maybe we could take up a donation for the MINA event, but as an event continue to sponsor and support Blood:Water Mission? Thoughts? And again, I am NOT trying to be a pooper. (Hey, that rhymes with Cooper!)
http://www.bloodwatermission.com

[Vango]

I would be in favor of focusing on 1 mission 1st so the donation would be a greater amount and 2nd. to make putting on such a great event as MSSD much easyer...My 2 cents

[MidnightDave]

Susan, I sent you a PM with my opinion...

[1QukMINI]

The Beer Swap was never a charity type thing, I mean, who would have thought the beer swap could be a charity for a church mission, right? But, all I was saying is that I am not against seeing other charities get what they need, and the MINA thing looks real cool. Everyone knows I have been involved with Blood:Water Mission for almost 10 years, and strongly support it on lots of levels, one of them through fundraising efforts. I know last year we gave more than $350 to BWM, and it felt good to see the MINI community embrace such an important charity to me.
And, I am not a poo-poo head, so, I will say this: Give where you feel led. There are endless charities that need our help right now, even people we know, one of which I posted in the Club Needs section. But as an event, I think Blood:Water Mission allows to support a community outside of our normal one, one that doesn't normally get touched by other MINI events and fundraisers. I am not trying to shoot Susan down for trying to help something she believes in, I have just made a decision that it's easier for us to support one major key charity, and focus on that one charity.

[MINIFIED]

Sorry it's taken a while for me to get back to this -- thank you (most of you!) for your input.
I think somehow I left some wrong impressions so will try and clarify a bit ..

First, I did NOT think of this idea as being a competing charity/event with BWM -- I assumed that people had already decided what they would donate to BWM at the event (as I have) and that this was not an either/or .. but in addition to ..

I assumed people might be interested in contributing to both ... after all, when I think of a charity donation, I think of contributing getting "nothing tangible" in return -- well, a good feeling and a tax deduction which is well worth it -- such as cash contributions I make at my church (and many other places)

The beer swap for donations however one *would* get something tangible in return .. basically I don't need 24 bottles of beer (because anyone who knows me at all knows 2 will put me on the floor, and there's only one kind I like!) so rather than take home 24 bottles of beer I was going to give them away for whatever donation anyone wanted to make -- essentially I was going to dispose of my beer but since I don't have a beer license and Graham (Swain?) County is dry I'm not sure it was a good idea to sell it per se -- hence I'd give it away for donations ..

For those who sent notes about my not piggybacking on Jason's event and to find my own fundraiser idea, just as an FYI, I *did* post a completely independent thread to the forum with/for ideas and I got not one response, so I did try .. and this seemed to be a way to have fun with the beer swap and serve a cause ..

And while I'll obviously not pursue this idea any further at this event, I sure did imagine over the past couple of days how it could have been expanded in ways to help many -- think of the others who such as myself are not big beer drinkers (I think someone even posted "how about a coffee exchange rather than beer") who might not be inclined to participate at all due to that, but if one idea was to buy a couple of cases of beer to trade out for donations to his/her own heartfelt charity I do believe many additional funds could be raised for good causes and no slight to the cause of the event (and perhaps some of those donations additionally contributed to BWM) ...

At this point I'm thinking I will participate in the beer exchange according to the original plan -- and don't be surprised if there is a case of random assorted, dragon-acquired beer to be raffled off at the next THMMC event :-)

-susan
MINIFIED

[MidnightDave]

Susan, you're a class act.

As an aside, I don't drink beer any more, but it is fun to show up and tease the silly, tipsy people! Maybe we can form a sober coalition to go poke them with sticks and stuff? ;-)

[BThayer23]

In case someone else ends up buying Susan's beer and they don't feel like drinking it all, let me be the first to volunteer my liver to charity. =)

I'm sure there's enough good will and charity in this group to go around, so I think this will all sort it self out in the end.

[Sgt Pepper]

And for the record, those of you who recall from last year, I will NOT be participating in the "Fontana Villiage, seems like a 100 meter walk, up hill, both ways, carrying a case of beer, wondering where the hell is the brewswap?" event this year. I'd like to thank Vango, Lounge Lizzard, Mr Minianni, and everyone else who supported me last year, and most of all Midnight Dave (or perhaps I should say Austin Powers) for transporting the case back down the mountain in MINICHI for me.

:thank_you2:

[MidnightDave]

Forgot about that one! What a great time--can't wait to enter into new adventures this year!

Will probably pass on Austin and a Miata guy nearly getting beat up by the frat boys for hitting on their G/Fs...ooops, what goes on the road stays on the road. That didn't really happen. There was no bonfire and no dancing and no drunk co-eds and frat boys at Fontana. None.

[Vango]

Forgot about that one! What a great time--can't wait to enter into new adventures this year!

Will probably pass on Austin and a Miata guy nearly getting beat up by the frat boys for hitting on their G/Fs...ooops, what goes on the road stays on the road. That didn't really happen. There was no bonfire and no dancing and no drunk co-eds and frat boys at Fontana. None.

And the fontana cop dressed in camo didnt come to make us turn down the music and act our age...didnt happen..nope didnt happen:haha:

[X5JR]

Not much of a beer drinker these days myself - now, if anyone wants to have a Single Malt Scotch Tasting, I will bring some.

[MidnightDave]

Hey, I'm bringing some cigars, bring the scotch! I won't have any, but they do go together well...

[BThayer23]

That didn't really happen. There was no bonfire and no dancing and no drunk co-eds and frat boys at Fontana. None.

None?:pleasantry:

Woohooo!

[X5JR]

Gave up the smokes over 20 years ago. Scotch is my only vice, now!

[MINIFIED]

Rainy weather contingency / alternate plans ... idea ...

I've made a bunch of extra chili -- and desserts -- since once upon a time I had 3 Palmers (ok, one "pseudo" Palmer) coming along ... and I have a cabin reserved so a little extra room -- offering open invitation for club members to use the cabin (# 424) for a congregating spot during the grill dinner on Saturday night , since if it's rainy or cold it's doubtful anyone will want to picnic -- come on over and help knock out some of the extras I won't be carrying back!

Yup, there's a catch. As an idea for a BWM fundraiser, I need as many THMMC autographs on 4 different 6-pack beer cartons as possible .. so if you join me, be prepared to have to grab a marker and sign!! :-)
Additional details to come .. :-)

See you soon! I am soooo ready! Rain or shine, it's gonna be a blast!

-susan
MINIFIED
PS I'm STILL not driving :-)

[MidnightDave]

Susan, do you have a big front porch or is there a gazebo or something nearby where we might partake of cigars? Last year we stunk up Vannifer's cabin, just trying to figure out options. Maybe we do the cigars on the Disc Golf course instead? More open air. Don't want to offend anybody with the odor, but we have to burn these sticks sometime over the weekend...

[MINIFIED]

Susan, do you have a big front porch or is there a gazebo or something nearby where we might partake of cigars? Last year we stunk up Vannifer's cabin, just trying to figure out options. Maybe we do the cigars on the Disc Golf course instead? More open air. Don't want to offend anybody with the odor, but we have to burn these sticks sometime over the weekend...


I actually meant to put a "qualifier" on that post .. that dessert is PRE-CIGAR :bad:

I don't know about the porch or the gazebo .. I know it's cabin # 424 (just edited my original post to include that relevant fact) ... I understand it is centrally located ("near the grills") and is a "unique" set up -- whatever in the heck that means! -- guess I'll find out tomorrow :blink:

If anyone who is already there wants to check out the porch/gazebo and post the details that would be helpful, otherwise that can be a TBD ...

(I'm looking at mid-late afternoon arrival .. am incorporating job stuff enroute and it just depends on how long each stop takes ... but I can definitely be a fast talker when I need to be .. !)

-susan
MINIFIED

[MidnightDave]

That's cool, we'll find somewhere to smoke 'em. I'm in the lodge so I can't host. Maybe we'll just crash another frat party...

[1QukMINI]

MINIFied (Susan) has volunteered her cabin to be used for the Brew Swap, tentatively scheduled to go down tonight, versus tomorrow. Her cabin is #424. Thanks Susan! See you all soon!

[BlimeyCabrio]

I have a big box'o stogies also. We'll find a dry spot to burn'em. No worries. Even if it's up under the shelter at the putt-putt course... heh heh...

[MINIFIED]

Had a great time -- proof positive it *can* be done without actually driving the Dragon :-)

The additional BWM donations that were made at the Beer Swap/Potluck at # 424 totaled $47 -- thanks to all who participated and contributed. (Jason, PM your address to send a check to)

I have not yet figured out "how" to turn the beer I swapped for into a charity fundraiser for Hope's MINA project, if anyone has any ideas. Thank you also to everyone who autographed the beer cartons that will surely become collector's items :-) ... not sure if a silent auction via PM and I'll deliver (I have 3 six packs of assorted beer) or a raffle at our next event (presuming it lasts til then with all the boys around here!) .. anyone have any other ideas, let me know! (except you, Ben, since I know all of your ideas will involve you drinking it .. :-))

Thanks again to all who contributed to the planning and the fun of this event!

-susan
MINIFIED