Community comes out to raise $10k for Sparks family

by Ian Roantree

Last weekend, on Saturday, April 6, this community did what this community does best and came together to raise money for a noble cause.

While fundraising was a primary goal of the several events that underwent throughout Saturday’s afternoon, this group, lead by Tammie Lalonde and Andrea LaMere, also sought to raise awareness about cystic fibrosis while supporting the young and brave Aubrey Sparks and her family as she battles everyday with the disease, and to provided financial support for their medical travel expenses.

The fun-filled day started at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the State Theater with a showing of Five Feet Apart, a story of a young romance between two teenagers with cystic fibrosis. While the cost per ticket was $6, the State Theater’s Sally Strasser donated $1 from each ticket sold, which raised $123.

After the movie, the group moved next door to the Tupper Arts center where they massed for the starting of the Ultimate 65 Roses Scavenger Hunt. The scavenger hunt, orchestrated by Pam Jones, drove groups of four all across town in a wild race-against-the-clock event. A registration fee of $40 was required for each team to participate, and with a total of 92 players involved and 23 teams, the scavenger hunt gathered $920 for the cause.

The victors of the scavenger hunt were Kelsey Amell, Danielle Amell, Deolinda Jessie and Melissa DeVirgeles.

To wrap up the day, the community went to fill Raquette River Brewing and continued to raise money and support. With nearly 400 bodies packed into the brewery’s great room, 753 pints of craft beer and ciders were sold.

From 6 p.m. until they closed their doors and shut down their taps at sometime after 9 p.m., RRB donated $1 from every pint of craft beer and cider sold. Over 750 pints were sold that evening.

Funds were also raised through 50/50 and basket raffles, on-site donations and through the trinkets, magnet and bracelets sold to brewery patrons that evening.The winner of the 50/50 was Annie Furnia.

Over $5,000 was raised through the basket raffle, around $2,500 from donations and $1,082 from 50/50, coming to a grand total of $10,581 over the course of the day.