Since 2015, we have donated a portion of every photo session we sell to help Hayden’s Hope. In 2016 we thought we could do more. So in April of this year we asked Hayden’s Hope founders, Jenn and Dari Nowkhah, if they would meet with us to discuss a fundraising idea we had. We told them we thought the four of us had enough contacts to put together a truly remarkable event to honor Hayden and raise money. Little did we know our proposed event was perfectly timed for Hayden’s 5th birthday, and the 5th anniversary of the charity. We wanted to put together a summer event at a local Charlotte brewery and raffle off some signed sports memorabilia. Dari + Jenn loved the idea and from this little Starbucks meeting in April, Hayden’s Hope Uptown Celebration began.
The four of us hit the ground running recruiting some more help and gathering swag for the raffle. First things first, we needed a date (flashback to wedding planning! lol). So Ryan and I reached out to several of the local breweries that we thought would have enough space for us. Triple C Brewing Co. quickly gained our love as the owners donated the space AND said they would donate back $1 from every beer sold. We were blown away by their generosity! From there they were totally flexible, letting us have as much of the space as we needed. Anything we asked, they said yes. We had found the perfect home!
Next, we needed a DJ. We contacted Bunn DJ Company, as they are one of our go to referrals when one of our clients need a DJ, because they are the best. Brandon did not disappoint once again. He even offered to donate his services for the event!
This momentum was no small feat and we very quickly realized that this event was going to be BIG!
We reached out to several of our friends that may have a connection to get us some raffle items. Dari did an incredible job collecting items as well and pretty soon we had signed items from the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, The Green Bay Packers, Dale Earnhardt Jr., UNC Football, Clemson Football, University of Florida Football and Basketball, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, The University of Arkansas Football and Basketball, and so much more.
Now, we needed some games. It isn’t a hard sell to ask people to come hang out at one of Charlotte’s most loved breweries and drink a beer that will help a child. But we wanted this to be a fun event that people will look forward to year after year (our dreams are big). So we reached out to the Charlotte Hornets and asked how we go about getting their inflatable Pop-A-Shot basketball game at the event. Turns out it wasn’t being used that day so they were more than happy to come set it up for us! The stars have aligned. Ryan’s brother, Jared, built us the football tire toss game and we grabbed our corn-hole boards. Games-CHECK!
As word spread about our rapidly approaching event, we had an outpouring of volunteers to help us for the day. One of those volunteers came from our friend and talented videographer Chelena over at Cinematix Video Production. She put together a sweet promo video you may have seen that really drove home the purpose of Hayden’s Hope and why we were doing this event. She also offered to shoot the event and put together a recap video for us (psst-it’s at the bottom of the post). If you were at the event, watch the video because now you’re famous! and If you missed it, well, it will give you all the more reason to keep an eye out for the date next year. We’re doing it bigger and better in 2017!
*Deep Breaths* Ok I promise I’m almost done with the copy. One more shout out to all our volunteers and donors! You guys made this whole thing worth it! We just can’t say thank you enough times. On July 31, 2016 at Triple C Brewing Co we raised $6000 to donate to Hayden’s Hope. This was more than we ever could have imagined on our first attempt at a charity event. Thank you thank you thank you!! Next year, let’s top $10k!
Greg McElroy, former Alabama National Championship QB, helped us raise money by taking on people in a pay to play competition. Then Cody Zeller of the Charlotte Hornets showed up and did the same thing on the Pop-A-Shot game! We couldnt have asked for better sportsmanship! 
Our raffle winners were so excited with their prizes!
A HUGE FINAL THANK YOU! Check out the video to get a true feeling of the good times and good brews we had at Hayden’s Hope FIRST ANNUAL Uptown Celebration!
