After clever pitches and a close contest, one sHARk Tank proposal rides the wave of success to a possible District Matching Grant
Three equally worthy projects swam with the sHARks at RAH's May 26 meeting, all vying for a bite at up to $5,000 funding from the club and a possible District Matching Grant to double the total. After the virtual pitches and voting, the plan to purchase a 15-passenger van for The Good Fight Community Center knocked-out the competition.
From silver screen dreams to a pitch that packed a punch and an actual mock-Shark Tank episode, the event provided entertainment, education and opportunity. Here's a quick summary of the projects:
The Moonlight Cinema: A drive-in movie experience staffed by VARC inc. clients providing jobs for 9 to 27 people and entertainment for an estimated 1,500 families in summer of 2020 alone
Driving the Good Fight Forward: Purchase a 15 passenger van for The Good Fight Community Center allowing them to better educate and support under-served young people in the La Crosse area
Disaster Supply Trailer: Partner with a number of other Rotary clubs to fund and supply a trailer packed with tools and cleaning materials that can be deployed to any disaster scene at a moment's notice
Using ranked-choice voting, The Good Fight project ended up as the clear front-runner with 51% of respondents making it their top choice. Both The Moonlight Cinema and Supply Trailer tallied about 24% of the first choice votes. The Supply Trailer ended up with a slightly higher second-choice response, collecting 36% to The Moonlight Cinema's 33%.
Feedback from respondents shows a desire to try to support all of these projects in some way. Many also praised those who presented the ideas and called for using the sHARk Tank as a fun way to promote future projects.