Fundraising: Helping with Happy Hour

Anna VanWaardhuizen is an Illinois native living in Des Moines while attending Drake University. She is a junior studying public relations and leadership. In addition to working as an intern with the Des Moines European Heritage Association, she works on campus and serves as president of Drake’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America. 

Happy hour might seem like an opportunity for getting a great deal, but they can be much more than that. For instance, our first fundraising event for Christkindlmarket Des Moines will be a happy hour event at Royal Mile in Downtown Des Moines. On February 25, we will meet from 4 to 7 p.m. to talk about our mission as Des Moines European Heritage Association, share our travel experiences and have an chance to grab a drink. Ten percent of sales during that time will go to DMEHA to help produce Christkindlmarket Des Moines in December.

Our group will meet in The Red Monk, located on the second floor of The Royal Mile. As the area’s only Belgian bar, it’s the perfect setting for our event. The decor is beautiful and the selection of beers is unmatched in the area. Not only do they serve Belgian style beers and imports, they have 90 different varieties. Second, there will be great deals for our attendees. Happy hour specials are available until 6 p.m. and The Royal Mile is offering Hoegaarden, a Belgian wheat beer, on tap for $3. This is an easy and fun way to help raise money for Christkindlmarket Des Moines.

Why is fundraising so important for us? It’s what’s going to power Christkindlmarket Des Moines this December! As a non-profit, we rely on fundraising to help us produce this event. Our team of volunteers has many great plans, but we need funds to make those ideas reality. It’s especially important now as we host the event for the first time.

Fundraising will also help us execute our mission of bringing together people of diverse backgrounds to discuss their heritage, culture and experiences. We want to be Iowa’s go-to resource for European cultural heritage. If you believe in our mission, consider donating. Even better, bring your friends and join us at Royal Mile on Thursday, February 25! (RSVP Here)