My friend definitely puts the fun in FUNdraiser. Binu added a very special (and ridiculously awesome) touch to a recent fundraising event. The Hard Hats and Halos gala was held in support of Walls of Hope—a grassroots organzation based in Oakville, Ontario whose goal is to help families who are trying to help themselves. By transforming homes, they help restore hope.
Check out their website. It's a great initiative with all kinds of amazing people and cool before and after project shots!
Last month, Binu put together a flash mob to add a little something unexpected to the event. She choreographed a routine, taught it to us (I was the klutz in the back of rehearsal grapevining in the wrong direction) and instructed us how to position ourselves in the banquet hall so we wouldn't raise any pre-spectacle suspicion.
Those who were not attending the event (me) and were coming only for the mob, were told to dress in a black shirt and pants to blend in with the serving staff. Boy did I blend. As I stood in my "server stance" (my years of serving and bartending clearly made me believable) a woman came up to me and said, I kid you not, "Excuse me. I have food allergies. Could you please inform the kitchen that I...." Woah, lady! I told her that though I looked like a server, I in fact was not, and that she'd better speak to someone who could actually prevent her death.
Flash mobs...I love watching them, but the thought of actually being IN one made me sweat. Not only do you risk looking like a weirdo dancing by yourself (before the crowd clues in that no, you're not just some drunken fool), our performance began with an awkward (completely staged) altercation between the MC and a group of dancers posing as unruly guests. I'm not good with awkward...
However, I am SO glad I put my fear of humiliation aside and participated because it was....awesome. If you're ever asked to participate in something like this, do it. You won't be sorry.
Here's a portion of the flash mob performance. Enjoy! And yes, I did indeed grapevine the wrong way, again.
Click photo to watch
Binu's addition of a flash mob, to this fundraiser made the event more fun and more memorable. Thinking about planning your own fundraiser for a cause important to you? Here are some tips to make planning your event less stressful.
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