Throw A Super Bowl Party For A Cause

CELEBRATIONS | by KAT SPELLMAN

THERE ARE SO MANY REASONS TO THROW A PARTY: celebrating a birthday, an anniversary, those holidays, yadda yadda yadda. Come Super Bowl Sunday you can have another great reason to party beyond the standard seven-layer dip and brewskies. This year, party for a cause on game day.

Use this weekend’s 2010 Super Bowl Sunday gathering as a reason to support and fundraise for a special cause close to your heart.  Email your pals with an invite and include hyperlinks to the charity’s website ― letting them know they’ll be putting their Super Bowl money into a kitty for a cause this year. If it’s a local organization, invite a staffer to come talk to your guests.

On game day, set up a laptop on the buffet, playing a loop of videos from your chosen nonprofit’s website. Display brochures, photos, and print materials from the organization or create a storyboard “case study” to educate. Friendly betting always a given on game day? Then let guests know that if they’re the gambling type, wagers to support your charity are an excellent and fun way to donate.

For ideas on what nonprofit to select, peruse the Internet, poll friends and look through your neighborhood paper. A great one that’s all about promoting the fun of physical team sports while shattering stereotypes is the Special Olympics “Unified Sports Teams“. This program joins Special Olympic athletes with teammates without intellectual difficulties. Playing together, both discover the thrill of the sport, whether it’s basketball or figure skating, and while doing so prejudices are overcome and respect swells.

Party on. And pass the brewskie.