Today’s Top 10: Annual MEB 10K Raffle
As we watch our teams wrap up regular season play in preparation for playoffs (yeah, baby!), we are reminded that the foundation of our league continues to be our youngest players – like those pictured here in the Learn-to-Skate program. These kids are the reason for many of our biggest fundraising activities, and why the feature of this week’s update is on our big event this Friday – the Annual 10K raffle.
Are you busy this Friday night, March 27, 2015? No, have we got a deal for you!!! Malden/East Boston Youth Hockey (MEB) is holding its largest annual fundraiser – the $10K Raffle and Dinner. For the past several years, this event has provided the league with funding greatly needed to finish off the season and prepare for next season. With ice rental fees continually increasing, we have used this event to help pay-off rinks and other fees owed at the end of our season. Admit it, you are thinking, “Why should I get involved in another fundraising event?” Here are 10 reasons (think of the David Letterman show as you read these aloud):
Top 10 reasons for buying a ticket for the Malden East Boston Youth Hockey (MEB) 10K raffle:
10. You or a friend or family member have or have had kids in youth hockey in the last 10 years (so you know how expensive ice time is!)
9. You are or have a friend or family member are from or live in East Boston or Malden (or have in the last 10 years)
8. MEB has kept their annual tuition price virtually the same (or lowered it!) for players for the past 7 years through fundraising efforts like this
7. You operate a business in Malden or East Boston, or one of several other surrounding communities, and enjoy supporting youth sports programs with a tax deductible donation
6. The MEB 10K is an “elimination-style” raffle, where half of the fun is watching as your co-investors are “knocked out” of the running for the big prize
5. You are a current MEB youth hockey parent and have at least three other friends to defray the cost of another chance at the jackpot
4. MEB is an example of a great merger of two town teams, with drive and competitiveness resulting in multiple tournament and league championships over the past 7 years
3. Your child is one of the 30+ current and former MEB players who for the 2014-15 school year were accepted onto their high school hockey programs
2. The math is simple: 4 friends + you = 20 bucks a head for a ticket; heck, make it 9 friends (come on, you have more than 4, right?) and it’s only 10 bucks each for a chance at a share of TEN GRAND
1. What else are you going to do this Friday night – KARAOKE? This is way more fun than embarrassing yourselves in front of your friends – err, scratch that – it’s about the same, but for a much better cause than your weekend-warrior, artificially induced delusions of fame and that crazy dream of making it on THE VOICE!
The details (our lawyer appreciates us including these):
The fundraising part is an “elimination raffle” drawing for $10,000*, whose tickets cost $100 each, and include dinner for two at the event, which takes place from 7:00 PM to midnight this Friday, March 27, at the Loyal Order of Moose Club, Broadway, Malden. A buffet dinner is served and families donate desserts, there are additional chances for winning baskets from each of the teams in the league, other donated goods and services, and a great silent auction of sports memorabilia is available as well. We’ll have a DJ, and several participants will likely resort to dancing either as a result of their tickets being eliminated from the remaining eligible or just from the contagious fun all are having at the event.
Really, the event is truly quite fun, especially if you like watching people enjoy themselves while witnessing each other’s chances of winning wash away as the evening wears on – a bit of schadenfreude among the youth hockey parents. Remember, this is a chance at winning a few thousand bucks! That of course depends on your luck and the choices of some “finalists” in the process. Let me explain – this is an opportunity to enter an elimination-style raffle, where the total number of tickets sold generates the dollar amount available for winning. In this case, the tickets cost $100 each, and the goal is to sell 200 of them, so that the organization generates $10,000 and the winner receives $10,000 (or is split among winners). In the case of fewer tickets sold, the pot is slightly smaller, but the concept remains the same.
However it turns out, all who attend have fun, and all who buy a ticket start out with a chance at the final prize. This is a great opportunity to support one of our growing sports organizations, and a chance at winning. If you find you are not interested in buying a ticket individually, the concept of four friends pitching in $25 each works very well. Also, we see a lot of “group” tickets, which can work with your colleagues at work, friends in your circle, or among family members to spread the investment across a few more people. If you know of others who may be interested, please feel free to pass this information along.
One raffle ticket includes dinner admission for two, but you do not need to attend the event to win. You can choose to have a representative at the event if you cannot attend in person. If you are interested in either a single ticket or a group ticket, please contact us ASAP, as the event is this week, and we are stretching to reach our goal.
Ticket forms are available from one of our coaches or Board members, or on our website at http://www.mebhockey.com/Fundraising_Events.html
Thank you for your consideration, and if you choose to participate – good luck! If you attend, it really can be quite an entertaining evening and a great way to keep these little ones on the ice for a few more years.
* The total amount available for the winners is determined by the total number of tickets sold, and is a maximum of $10,000 (our goal).