Make A Wish Come True: Ghent Charitable Bar Tour

Like to make wishes come true?

Live near or in Norfolk, Virginia? Like to drink? If you said yes to any of those, I have a great event in mind that I’d like to tell you about. My friend Scott has been putting together a charitable semi-annual pub/bar crawl (history of the bar crawl) in a synergistic merging of two things dear to my heart - charitable giving and drinking. In the previous three times they’ve put this together, they’ve been able to raise thirteen thousand dollars for the Make-A-Wish-Foundation of Eastern Virginia… that’s a staggering amount when you consider registration is a mere $15 if you register before tomorrow (it’s only $20 if you register afterwards). This year Scott told me he’d like the event to raise $8,000, a very admirable and certainly achievable goal, and I’d like to do whatever I can to help him along.

If you’re in the area and like a good time, please do sign up! If you’re not but you’d like to help, there is a Ghent Bar Tour donations page if you want to send a few dollars to the MAW foundation and help them reach their goal of $8,000.

Here’s more about the event:

Drinking for Charity? What a concept. GhentBarTour.com is holding its fourth semi-annual charitable pub crawl on February 24th in Norfolk, VA. In the short span of just five hours, the 2007 Ghent Winter Bar Tour will visit ten different food & beverage locations in the city’s historic midtown neighborhood of Ghent. The winter and summer tours of 2006 brought out 300 plus participants each and raised a total of $13,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern Virginia (the local Hampton Roads chapter of the well-known national wish-granting organization). This latest pub crawl will also once again benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Registration is required for the event and can be done online, by-mail, or at-the-door the day of the event. The registration booth will be located inside Zio’s at 1517 Colley Avenue. Every registered participant gets an official long sleeve event T-shirt, souvenir cup, magnet, guide map, a few other promotional items, and most importantly a wristband good for food and/or drink discounts at each stop on the tour. Registration is $20 the day of the event, but you can get a discount on this fee (and reserve your shirt size) by registering ahead of time in groups of two or more (see website for details). Still looking for more fun? Friendly competitions will be held along the way at each and every location. Play our versions of Bar Tour Bingo, Texas Hold ‘Em Poker, and various Bar Sports to win various prizes. And don’t forget to enter the 50/50 raffle to win your bar tab back! Rumor has it a few Budweiser representatives will also be making their way through the tour and adding excitement to the festivities. So why wait? If you live near Norfolk or have friends, family, or acquaintances that do you and they should register to be a part of the biggest party in Virginia this winter!

For the latest event information visit www.GhentBarTour.com.

The Make-A-Wish of Eastern Virginia chapter serves all of Hampton Roads, the Peninsula, Williamsburg, Emporia, Franklin, York, James City, Sussex, Isle of Wight, Surry, Greensville & Southampton counties and the Eastern Shore. The mission of the Make-A-Wish Foundation is to grant wishes to children between the ages of 2½ and 18 who have life threatening medical conditions. The organization provides a bright moment of hope, strength, and joy for a child in what can sometimes be a dark routine of treatments, doctors and hospital visits.

If you’re a blogger and wouldn’t mind writing a little bit about this event, I’d be very appreciative. Thanks!

Thank you FMF for your generosity and thank you Mapgirl and Henry for blogging about it!