By Robin Hug - Healdsburg Tribune Staff Writer
The Active 20-30 Club of Healdsburg will host their third annual Bottle Shots fundraiser this weekend to raise money for children’s programs in the community.
The event is the biggest fundraiser the group organizes, allowing them to donate a significant amount to a different children’s cause of their choice each year.
“This event is not just for the young,” said 20-30 Club President Dan Chapin. “Anyone can come and beer, wine, food, and music appeals to a lot of people so it should make for a good event.”
The idea for Bottle Shots originated as a client appreciation event through Chapin’s company and after its first year of success donating money to the Children’s Cancer Community, Chapin decided to move the event into his social group raising money for the Boys and Girls Club last year.
Chapin says that the name Bottle Shots comes from a wine industry term related to photographing wine bottles for tasting note specs.
“It sounds like a good time whatever it is,” Chapin laughed about people being unclear about the meaning of the event from the name.
This year’s primary beneficiary of Bottle Shots is the Healdsburg Education Foundation, which provides enrichment programs for students attending Healdsburg public schools.
“We have a lot of worthy charity groups approaching us and we have to vote as a board on who to donate to each year,” Chapin said. “We are also a non-profit group and have our own children’s fund that we use for different groups at the end of the year.
Music for the event will be preformed by Crazy Famous and the Pat Jordan Band along with a raffle and audience participation in a secret game for the chance to win a grand prize.
“We have great raffle prizes,” Chapin said of the ‘Instant Cellar’ where the winner will take home 100 bottles of Sonoma County Wines and a case of Russian River Brewery beer. Other prizes include four passes to the ‘Chef’s Harvest 2011’ dinner at Seghesio Winery and a gift certificate to the h2hotel.
The Bottle Shots event will be held Saturday, Sept. 3 from 5 to 9 p.m.
A golf tournament, ‘REHAB,’ will follow on Sunday for interested parties and a selection of tickets to participate in portions of the event or the entire weekend are available online.
“It’s rehab from having worked so hard on this event and a great way for service clubs around Healdsburg to mingle with other clubs on the course and they don’t have to be at the event the night before to play,” said Chapin.
Bottle Shots tickets, including tickets to the golf tourney can be purchased at http://bottleshots2011.eventbrite.com. Interested parties are encouraged to purchase tickets ahead due to a maximum of 300 people at Seghesio Family Vineyards.
“I want this to be a great time for people and at the same time they are helping the community,” Chapin said.
Active 20-30 International, a non-profit organization that raises money for underprivileged children, officially chartered a new club chapter this fall that will encompass Healdsburg, Windsor and Cloverdale members.
The club began in July and ran their first fundraiser in October raising money for the Healdsburg Boys & Girls Club. The Healdsburg chapter was originally founded in the 1930’s but had to dissolve around the Vietnam War. The club official re-chartered November 12, 2010.
The mission of the Active 20-30 US & Canada “provides young adults with an opportunity for personal growth, friendships and leadership development while improving the quality of life for the special needs children in their community.”