Get Involved Gala

The GIG 2012 Raffle Prizes

Along with the dancing, drinking, and picture taking, you can also win some awesome raffle prizes at The GIG 2012. Each raffle package is worth over $1,000, but you have the opportunity to win one with a single raffle!

Look over the list now and buy your raffle tickets at The GIG. Raffle tickets are $5 each, and funds raised will go to United Way of Pierce County’s Community Solutions Fund.

DATE NIGHT PACKAGE
(2) Tacoma Rainiers Summit Club Seats (game TBD)
(1) Night Stay at Hotel Murano
(1) Melting Pot Dinner Package
(6) Wine Tasting Passes to 21 Cellars
(1) 3 Hour Limo Service for up to six guests courtesy of Rareform Limo
(1) $50 Gift Certificate from the Harmon

WELLNESS PACKAGE
(1) 8 Week Boot Camp at Jowers Training Systems
(1) 3 Months Unlimited Yoga at Expand Yoga
(1) Health Class at Puget Sound Family Health
(1) Session with Chiropractor at Puget Sound Family Health
(1) Acupuncturist Treatment at Puget Sound Family Health

GET READY FOR 2013 PACKAGE
(1) 8 Week Boot Camp at Jowers Training Systems
(1) 3 Month Unlimited Yoga at Expand Yoga
(1) 1 Hour Massage at Puget Sound Family Health
(1) Session with Chiropractor at Puget Sound Family Health

FROM THE SLOPES TO THE GREEN PACKAGE
(2) Ski Lift Tickets, and Mountain Tour OR Ski Patroller Shadowing at Whitepass
(2) Tickets to Seattle Mariners vs New York Yankees at Safeco Field on 6/7/2013
(4) Tickets to a Seattle Sounders Game (game TBD)
(4) Rounds of Golf at Chambers Bay Golf Club

BRIDESMAIDS PACKAGE
(1) $250 Gift Certificate to the Wedding Bell
(4) $38 Gift Certificates for Pedicures at La Bella
(1) 1 Week House Stay in Cabo (Airfare NOT included)

SITTING PRETTY PACKAGE
(1) Haircut, Color, & Facial Package from Platinum Salon & Spa
(1) Portrait Package from Tonya Demots
(1) $65 for Pedicure at Savi Day Spa
(1) 8 Week Boot Camp at Jowers Training Systems

MARITIME PACKAGE
(1) 3 Hours of Sailing with Wine and Cheese courtesy of Puget Sound Family Health
(2) Scuba Lessons courtesy of Along Came Scuba
(1) 1 Night Stay at the INN at Gig Harbor
(1) Winter Warm-Up Pack from Starbucks

The GIG 2012 Guide

You picked your outfit, snagged a hot date, and bought tickets online. What do you do now? Read the Official GIG 2012 Guide, that’s what. Here’s what to do before, during, and after the biggest party of the season.

BEFORE THE GIG

LODGING: ~~You can book a discounted room at Hotel Murano if you call 1-888-862-3255 and mention The GIG or United Way~~. (DISCOUNT IS NO LONGER VALID) We suggest getting a room and making your life easier. After all the dancing and drinking at The GIG and the afterparty, you’ll be too exhausted to go home.

DINNER: The Melting Pot has graciously put together a full course dinner special right before The GIG. While there, you’ll also be able to try the GIG-tini, a one-night-only concoction that will put you in a giving mood. Please make reservations (shoot for 6 pm to give your group enough time to eat) by calling 253-535-3939.

DURING THE GIG

PARKING: Parking will be plentiful in downtown Tacoma, but if you don’t want to hike to the Tacoma Art Museum in your six-inch heels, you can park in the paid stalls at the bottom of the museum. Which, conveniently, would put you next to the elevator to the lower parking entrance (i.e. the only entrance).

ENTRANCE: Unfortunately, the TAM doesn’t allow access through the front door on Pac Ave at night–REPEAT: NO FRONT DOOR ACCESS!!!– , so you can only get in through the lower parking entrance. You’ll have to take the stairs or elevator from the parking lot up to the TAM.

THE EVENT: We’ve been planning this for months, so there are more than enough things for you to do and see that will make those three hours fly by. Make sure to get to The GIG at eight on the dot to optimize your fun.

Raffles: What can you win this year? Scuba lessons, unlimited yoga clases, Whitepass tickets, and much more. Each raffle package has been super-sized and have estimated value of at least $1,000. And, as always, your raffle dollars go to United Way of Pierce County, which will disperse the funds to over a hundred non-profits.

Photobooth: We’re bringing back one of the popular features from last year’s party: The prop-tacular photobooth! ShutterSpeed is providing the state-of-the-art booth, which can print take-home copies of your photos almost instantly. Now you’ll be able to appreciate your goofy group pics while you’re in line to take even goofier group pics.

Andy Warhol’s Flowers for Tacoma: For the first hour of The GIG, guests will have access to the Andy Warhol Flowers for Tacoma exhibit, new to the TAM. Enjoy Warhol lithos, sketches, and paintings, as well as his original plans for the Tacoma Dome. Start brushing up on your Warhol knowledge (or at least peruse his Wikipedia entry) so you can impress your date.

Drinks and Appetizers: Bartenders from Cork! and The Mix will be dolling out wine, beer, and liquor on both floors of the TAM. We also have a special treat for beer lovers: Every guest at The GIG will get one free beer ticket for a cup of Mac & Jack!

Jonz Catering will be providing comfort food appetizers, desserts, and stacks of colorful cupcakes from Hello, Cupcake will be for the taking. Don’t be shy and grab a couple.

Dance floor: Last year the Weekly Volcano deemed our humble event “the most grinding” social event they’d seen at the TAM. This year we’re expanding the dance floor and pumping up the jams in hopes of a bigger spectacle. Let’s show the Volcano that we have not yet begun to grind.

Swag bags: On your way out, remember to grab a swag bag, filled with assorted goodies. Inside you’ll find passes to our official afterparty, too!

AFTER THE GIG

Afterparty at Encore Nightclub: Still have energy after The GIG? Join us at Encore Nightclub for some after hours fun. The lights will be dim and the drinks will be flowing. Only good things can happen.

We’re looking forward to seeing you next Saturday. It’s officially time to get excited.

Melting Pot GIG Dinner Special

Have you made dinner plans before The GIG? If not, the Melting Pot has graciously put together a one-night-only special for you and your date! Call (253)-535-3939 and make your reservation today.

GIG Dinner Special:

Start the Evening With A Glass Of Bubbly!

First Course
Your choice of any of our silky cheese fondues:
Spinach Artichoke, Fiesta Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, Wisconsin Trio, Traditional Swiss, or Big Night Out

Second Course
Your choice of any of our freshly made salads:
House, Spinach Mushroom, Caesar, California, or Big Night Out

Chef Selected Entree
Sesame-crusted sushi grade ahi tuna, succulent white shrimp, seasoned choice angus sirloin, herb-crusted all natural chicken breast & teriyaki marinated sirloin

Decadent Dessert
Your choice of any of our decadent chocolate fondue desserts:
Yin & Yang, Cookies & Cream, Chocolate S’mores, Bananas Foster,Flaming Turtle, Milk, Dark, or White Chocolate, or Big Night Out

$42 per person/ $84 per couple

Tonight’s Featured Cocktail:
The Gig-tini

The GIG 2012

Last November, the Get Involved Gala energized the Tacoma Art Museum, where over 300 guests danced, drank and learned of the many volunteering and fundraising opportunities in their community. In the first year alone, the GIG raised over $14,000 for United Way of Pierce County. Mixing celebration with civic-mindedness, the GIG is quickly becoming one of the premier events in Tacoma.

On Saturday, November 10th, we’re returning to the Tacoma Art Museum for the GIG 2012. In addition to wearing swanky outfits, taking fun photobooth pics and packing the DJ-fueled dance floor, our 500+ guests will have exclusive access to the Andy Warhol Flowers exhibit premiering that weekend. Dressing up, getting down, having fun–all for a good cause. Get your tickets now! We promise it’ll be the highlight of the fall season!

Thanks For Giving

What a perfect day to say thanks to everyone who attended the inaugural Get Involved Gala! We’ve crunched the numbers and are happy to announce that The GIG raised over $14,000. Proceeds will go to United Way of Pierce County’s Community Solutions Fund.

This was a community effort. We needed the support of our friends, sponsors, and each and everyone of you who showed up in your fancy outfits. (Check out the Project:U Facebook page to see the snazzy pics!)

Thank you all for making our first year a tough one to top. We promise you we’re going to try our hardest to do so next November.

Staying Involved

Now, wasn’t that a party?

Thank you to everyone who attended the inaugural Get Involved Gala. We rocked the Tacoma Art Museum like it’s never been rocked before. Everyone looked beautiful in their dresses, suits, and clown noses. We can’t wait to post the elegant/fun/goofy photo booth pictures (courtesy of Linh B!) later this week. And special shout-outs to those gentlemen who broke out the tuxes. You’ll be seen as trailblazers come next year.

We’d also like to thank our sponsors, especially our platinum sponsors Cascade Eye & Skin Centers, Weekly Volcano, Jonz Catering, Hello-Cupcake, Trendy Event Rentals, Expand Yoga, Jowers Training Systems, Strategic Consulting Services, BeFit Tacoma and Hotel Murano. We also can’t forget to thank the bartenders from Cork! A Wine Bar and The Mix who supplied the wine and spirits for the night. The generosity of all of our sponsors helped make The GIG the hippest party around.

Though The GIG is over, there’s still opportunities to get involved around Pierce County. In fact, Project:U has a toy drive at Cork! on Wednesday, December 14th. Donate gifts to the less fortunate, mingle and drink great wine. Cork! will donate 20% of the night’s sales to United Way of Pierce County. We hope to see you there.

Once again, thank you to those who came and partied. Next year’s will be bigger and better. If you’d like to stay updated, please like The GIG and Project:U Facebook pages.

Come back in a few days to see all the cool pics!

Who Benefits: BRIDGES

Dealing with a death in the family is a long, painful process at any age. But children who are experiencing grief often need more time, understanding and support than other age groups. BRIDGES, a program run by Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, is there to assist them in the grieving process.

In BRIDGES, children and teenagers who have experienced a death in the family or have a family member with a serious illness, attend weekly peer groups, where they learn healthy coping techniques.

“Most groups will begin the group with introducing themselves and mentioning the person who died,” says Darren Wenz, BRIDGES Program Director. “Depending on the theme for the evening, the groups made up of younger children will do hands on activities and listen to a story.”

Children are not the only ones who receive grief support. Parents of grieving children attend separate group meetings as well.

“[Parents] meet others who might be a little farther along in their grief and gain hope by hearing others talk about their grief progression,” says Wenz.

The BRIDGES peer groups are primarily run by volunteers. The volunteers, a mix of licensed professionals and community members, are trained to understand and teach topics such as the grief experience, grief rituals, and family communication skills. Meetings are twice a month at Christ Episcopal Church.

There’s no easy way to help a child through grief. There are, however, sources of support out there such as BRIDGES. It’s important for grieving children to know they are not alone.

To learn more about the program or to volunteer, please visit the official BRIDGES website.

Who Benefits: FISH Food Banks of Pierce County

In the next couple weeks leading up to The GIG, we’ll be highlighting various agencies and programs that benefit from United Way of Pierce County’s Community Solutions Fund. In this first installment, we’re putting the spotlight on FISH Food Banks of Pierce County. You can find the official FISH Food Banks website at www.fishfoodbanks.org.

Eight years ago, Beth Elliott left the Red Cross to become the Executive Director at FISH Food Banks. The career move was a way for her to focus on giving one of the most basic of human needs. However, her early experience at one bank had her questioning how the organization was serving that need.

“We had a food bank that was in what I called the dungeon. It was awful. You had to go down these steep stairs; it was like you were going down into a cave. It smelled awful. I was embarrassed.”

Beth wasn’t just appalled at the conditions of her banks. The lack of food choices for her clients also disheartened her.

“You’d come in ten feet, grab a bag of groceries, and leave. At the end of the day, volunteers would find food at the back of the bank because people were too embarrassed to say ‘I can’t eat corn,’ or ‘I don’t like corn.’”

“I thought, ‘We can do better than this.’ My mission is that we serve with more compassion, dignity, and respect. And that we have the resources to provide good, nutritious food.”

These days, no one would mistake the eight FISH (Friends Serving in the Service to Him) Food Banks for dungeons. Each bank is located in brightly lit churches around Pierce County. In a single month, FISH serves more than 37,000 individuals, who push shopping carts up and down aisles set up like “little grocery stores.” Along with the quality of the banks, the food options have also increased significantly.

Beth explains that “by giving people choice, we’re no longer wasting food, we’re no longer doing double the work and when we buy food we buy because we know what people will eat. It’s about efficiency.”

That dedication to efficiency extends to FISH’s administrative costs. FISH employs a bare bones staff and relies heavily on volunteers for much of the day-to-day work. Most of the food comes through donations (half of which comes from Emergency Food Network), government commodities, and bulk purchases. And for every dollar received, FISH uses 97% of it directly on food.

“Right now, it’s about a dollar a person,” Beth says, explaining FISH’s philosophy on buying in bulk. “We can get nine meals for that dollar. That’s a pretty darn good deal.”

In the ensuing years, Beth has seen FISH expand beyond her initial expectations. Connection Centers operate in four of the banks, where outreach specialists assist clients in accessing resources such as Medicaid and affordable housing options. A fully-stocked mobile food bank recently opened in the parking lot of Northeast Elementary School, and Beth hopes to have it on the road five to six days a week.

“We want to serve neighborhoods,” Beth says. “We don’t want people driving from Kingdom Come to get to a food bank.”

No matter how much FISH grows as an organization, Beth’s goal remains the same: to offer support to her community that’s consistent and dignified.

“I had family to fall back on when I was growing up. Many people don’t. People need something they can count on.”

Volunteering for the Right Reasons

According to a study done by the University of Michigan, those who volunteer, especially those who do it for altruistic reasons, live longer lives. The study, which began in 2004, surveyed over 10,000 retirement-age participants on not only how much they had volunteered over the course of their lives, but also the reasons why they volunteered. Did they donate their time and energy out of a sense of selflessness? Or did they primarily do it to make themselves feel better?

Researchers found that after a four-year period the mortality rate was lower for those who volunteered altruistically rather than for personal gain. Surprisingly, the mortality rate for those who volunteered for personal gain was about the same as those who did not volunteer at all.

What does this tell us? Obviously that volunteering is better for you than not volunteering. Participating in events such as working at a food bank or planting a community garden fills your free time, strengthens your social connections and makes you a more well-rounded person, but we shouldn’t forget the real reason to volunteer: to help others who need it. Consider everything else–even the promise of an extended lifespan–a bonus.

Where Your Money Goes

We’re proud to announce that proceeds from The GIG will go directly to United Way of Pierce County’s Community Solution Fund. The CSF, an umbrella fund that supports education, income and health within the Pierce County area, contributes to programs and agencies such as Hilltop Scholars, HopeSparks, The Rescue Mission and Children with Special Needs. There are over one hundred programs and agencies that are benefiting from the fund this year alone. You can find a complete list–as well as ways to donate to the CSF directly and immediately–at UWPC’s official website.

Along with ticket sales, we’ll be also raising money through auctions and raffles the night of the event. You’ll learn more about the prize packages in the coming weeks so keep your eyes on this site. We’ll make it worth your while.