Last week, Clearwater Marine Aquarium hosted its Designer Bag Bingo fundraiser. We have sponsored and participated in the event for a few years now, and this was the second year it was held virtually.
As part of our sponsorship, ten of our team members got to attend. We received cheeses and accoutrements for a hefty charcuterie board, bottles of wine, and — of course — bingo cards! Additionally, we ordered dinner from a local restaurant for our attendees.
Before the event started, we logged onto Zoom and were able to “meet” the other participants. Some had fun names like “Belleair Belles” and “Bingo Babes”. Clearwater Marine Aquarium played a short video for us before we started the game, highlighting their mission and their recent expansion. We also heard from their CEO, Frank Dame, who thanked us for participating in the virtual fundraiser and introduced the members of their development team who were present.
The emcee then took the lead and we started playing. For the first couple of games, a few of our team members had close calls — we raised the “1 left” paddle multiple times, but didn’t win. Then, on game 3, we had a winner! Melissa Wilson won a gorgeous Louis Vuitton envelope clutch with crossbody insert. All of us were super excited for Melissa’s big win, and her purse was delivered to our office on the following day. Because she won, all of us received small gifts from Coastal Aire, a décor boutique located in Belleair Bluffs.
We are so grateful for the opportunity to take part in such a fun night that raised almost $50,000 for the aquarium’s mission! We will all be sharpening our bingo skills — and making room in our closets — in anticipation for next year’s event.