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Party with a Purpose
By Heather Morse
05/08
Wander the parking lot at any sporting event or concert, and you're
likely to find friendly tailgaters that are more than happy to help
out their fellow fans with some ketchup, lighter fluid, napkins and
maybe even a beer or two. Such camaraderie is often the nature of
tailgating, but there are some sets of super fans who take this
willingness to help others to a whole different level.
One such group is Tailgate for a Cause (TFAC), an assemblage of die-
hard Dave Matthews Band (DMB) enthusiasts who combine their love of
concert going and tailgating with serving the greater good. The
bunch, comprised of members Rick Grobart, Jean Odwazny, Christy
Grobart, Brian Stachacz, Dave Kamlan, Amanda Crickmore, Chrissy
Tuscher and webmaster Ron Kamlan, raises funds for charity by
grilling up and serving food in concert venue parking lots at DMB
appearances.
With a menu consisting of hundreds of hot dogs, bottled waters,
sodas, bags of chips and cookies, the TFAC gang is ready and waiting
for the hordes of hungry fans as they exit DMB shows. The upstanding
group, which attends at least five DMB gigs from Noblesville, Ind. to
Seattle each summer, does not sell any of the items since that is
against the policy of concert venues, but instead offers all the
goodies in exchange for donations to their designated charity.
"Everything is available on a give-what-you-can basis," says Rick
Grobart, the group's enthusiastic organizer and master griller. "A
few bucks here and there really adds up - it's an amazing thing."
Since its inception in 2004, TFAC has raised more than $17,000 for
the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, the Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort,
the Super Jake Foundation and Autism Speaks. This summer, TFAC will
again be jamming at five DMB concerts, grilling up and passing out
good eats, and collecting donations, all of which will go to the
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
For Grobart, the benefits of TFAC are inspiring. "We get to
experience concerts by our favorite band and tailgate with great
friends, all while doing something incredibly worthwhile. The amount
of good karma we get from this experience is really, really awesome."
For more information about Tailgate for a Cause or to donate to the
groups 2008 cause, visit www.tailgateforacause.com.
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