Let’s talk about how we choose the charity for Rendezvous. Over the last decade we have only had 3 charities. The Children’s Home Society was our charity for many years, and in years before my time something happened, and both they and us fell out of favor with each other. So in 2014 or 15, the BOD had 3 charities come and offer to be our yearly charity, and Girl’s Inc became our charity for the next 4 – 5 years. Last December, due to changes in leadership there, they decided not to work with us on Rendezvous, and we were left a little flat footed having to find a charity. We need a good charity because we go out and ask businesses to make donations to the charity. We came up on Gulf Coast School for Autism almost accidently, but they fit the bill, had experience in Auctions and Raffles, knew the technical ends of taking credit cards remotely (that is way important), and for the most part were a big help this year.

They weren’t perfect, but they kept the front desk manned and operational, they were a big help all three mornings in moving Goody bags, Raffle items, and Auction items. If possible, we like keeping the same charity because this year they were Rendezvous Virgins, next year they will know more, we will know more about them, and things should run even more smooth than they did this year (and this year was darn smooth).

So–while nothing is official, they are the leading contender for next year’s Rendezvous charity. Here are the things that are necessary to be a Rendezvous charity:

— Must be local, Bay County. For instance a charity like the American Heart Association, or the Cancer Society, those are great charities but if we write them a big check who knows where that money will go? So our charitable contribution must go to something here in Bay County.

— Must be able to help out SIGNIFICANTLY at the front desk, goody bags, raffle, auction, etc. 6-8-10 adults over the course of 4 days who can handle money, who stay sober, who can interact with people well, and who have positive attitudes about being there working–while everyone else is playing (we are giving them money after all). Yes we know–our club drinks, and the charity needs to know that and that it will be going on in a big way.

— Have experience in fund raising, raffles, auctions, large events.

— Charities for KIDS help A LOT. You know, most precious resource, etc, etc.

— They need to have a good name locally, something that when our team goes to a local establishment to ask for a donation, it rolls off the tongue, it sounds like a charity that you or I would want to contribute to.

So–here’s the deal, if you have a charity that you think fits the criteria, FIRST–YOU go to that charity to see if they are even interested. We get advice all the time on every subject, whether Rendezvous, meetings, music, merchandise, etc, advice is cheap (“You should go do this……that….and the other”). Before you send our team out to do a deep dive investigation, YOU do the legwork to find out if they are even interested. There are some in Bay County who are not interested in Parrot Heads, they may think our lifestyle is a little “heathen”, and that’s fine. But if you feel strongly about a charity, do the leg work, bring it to the Board and we will beat that horse to death, I promise. We want to make the right decision of course, because we want another great Rendezvous. While there isn’t a hard deadline, obviously the sooner we can make that decision the better. Rendezvous planning will start in earnest in mid July, after the summer rush.

Rendezvous 2023 — “I Have Found Me a Home”