Help Cubs Insider Raise Money for Riley Hospital and Get a Chance to Win Ian Happ or Eloy Jimenez Autographed Card
My goal when I got back into writing was not to become rich or famous — both of which would have been pretty ill-advised targets for a blogger anyway — but I have achieved a small degree of notoriety. As such, I wanted to add a new dimension to Cubs Insider’s second annual watch party, which will be taking place Sunday, 4/10 starting at 3:30pm ET at the Scotty’s Brewhouse on 96th St. in Indianapolis. Last year’s party went pretty well, but I felt that it was missing a certain je ne sais quoi.
My “aha moment” came when the GM of one of the Cubs’ minor league affiliates reached out and said they’d be willing to donate some swag to the party if and when I got it scheduled. I reasoned that the other affiliates might be similarly inclined so I reached out and guilt-tripped…er, I kindly asked all of them if they’d be willing to make donations as well. So it is that I began receiving packages from Myrtle Beach, Des Moines, South Bend, Kodak, and Eugene filled will all kinds of fun stuff.
My original intent was to simply give the items away, but the lightbulb over my head was still burning bright. Rather than simply give the items away, I thought I decided to hold a raffle to raise money for a local charity. While a Twitter poll revealed that not everyone would be willing to take part in a fundraising raffle, the response was overwhelmingly positive. I had considered several Cubs-related charities at first, but settled on Riley Hospital for Children here in Indy.
My reasoning was twofold: not only had I spent quite a bit of time there as a child, but a friend of mine recently lost his young son and I wanted to make the donation in his honor. Riley is an amazing place and they’re helping so many kids every day. I’m over 33 years removed from my last stay there — I had kidney surgeries at 6 months and 3 1/2 years old — but I want to continuing doing whatever I can to help them treat other children, some of whom are battling far greater odds than I faced.
The initial idea was to limit the raffle to those in attendance at Scotty’s next Sunday, but I quickly realized that I’d be limiting the ability to raise funds as a result. That said, I decided to open up a portion of the prize pool to those who can’t make it. The Emeralds sent autographed Eloy Jimenez and Ian Happ cards, so those will be up for grabs to anyone who donates online via PayPal. The drawing for all the prize packages will take place during the 7th inning of the Cubs/D-Backs game and I’ll broadcast live via Periscope for those who want to catch the action.
Oh, I should probably give you some details, huh? It’s all pretty simple: tickets are $1 apiece or 6 for $5 with no limit (12 for $10, 30 for $25, etc). Those donating online will only be included in the drawing for the cards since I don’t really want to be mailing out all kinds of shirts and hats and whatnot. I’m also trying to limit as much cost as possible since every penny raised is being donated. I want to make that very clear. Scotty’s reserved the room for free and all the prizes were donated by the various teams, so I have zero financial liability here and will be taking nothing from the money raised.
Those wishing to enter online can do so via the link above up until gametime (4pm ET) next Sunday. Those in attendance at Scotty’s can pay by cash or PayPal and will have the opportunity to win several prize packs beyond just the autographed cards. Aside from just raising money, though, I’m hoping we can really get a nice show of force from Cubs fans and pack the house at Scotty’s. The room we’ve got seats 18 comfortably and I’m hoping to make it a little uncomfortable, for reasons other than just my awful jokes. This is a family-friendly event too. Not only does the timing work out, but kids eat free with every adult entree purchased, so those of you planning to be there will have more money free to donate.
I’ll have a separate bowl or jar for each prize pack, so those in attendance can buy tickets and place them accordingly in order to increase their odds of winning their favorite(s). Something tells me the Pelicans stuff might be popular.
Eloy Jimenez and Ian Happ autographed cards (separate drawings)
Eugene Emeralds Prize Pack
- Lunch tote
- Emeralds hat
- Squatch bobble-foot
Iowa Cubs Prize Pack (2)
- Hat/shirt combo (first winner has choice)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans Prize Pack
- Cooler backpack
- Carabiner sunscreen
- Lanyards
- Baseball autographed by 2015 Mills Cup championship roster (I can’t decipher all of them, but I have identified Chesny Young, Jacob Rogers, Pin-Chieh Chen, Mark Zagunis, Jason Vosler, Daniel Lockhart, Tyler Skulina, Ben Carhart and some kid named Gleyber Torres)
Is that…why yes, it's a baseball signed by the 2015 Carolina League champs. Have to be at Scotty's on 4/10 to win. pic.twitter.com/9d7G9MwWPH
— Evan Altman (@DEvanAltman) April 2, 2016
South Bend Cubs Prize Pack
- 2 hats
- Voucher for 4 free tickets to game of your choice
Tennessee Smokies Prize Pack
- Hat
- T-Shirt
- 2 rally towels
Cubs Insider “Narrative Buster” shirt
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach me via the comments, or Twitter (@DEvanAltman), or by emailing me at dealtman@gmail.com. I’d really love to hit the $500 goal and I see no reason we can’t get there.
