Deval Fundraiser Busts Through Goals
It was a very cold and rainy day today for the Pepperell BBQ fundraiser for Deval Patrick (for which I was on the hosting committee), but that didn’t dampen the turnout as much as I would have thought. It was an exceptionally organized affair, and three large tents kept the guests from getting too soaked! 
Deval mingled with everyone for quite a while and before he left, made a speech and did a Q&A session, before heading off to an event in Fitchburg.
The initial goal for the fundraiser was $10,000 (from at least 100 $100 tickets). Those that have maxed out their $500 were invited to come as a special guest. Getting most of that money up front is usually difficult, but by last week, we had reached $11,000 and so the goal was stretched to$14K.
Today I heard the number 169 - the number of RSVPs for today. I don’t know what the final fundraising amounts are, but they almost certainly reached $14,000. Thanks to Alice and Mauricio for opening their backyard and home for a very fun gathering with a great purpose! Well done to all the hosting committee, I can’t believe how smooth and unstressed the preparation was.
On another, navel-gazing hilarity moment, KRS (both my co-bloggers were at the BBQ) told us about how David and Charley of Blue Mass Group made the front page of the Herald (picture and everything, at least in the print version) as part of their grouping of focus articles on the hip, new, young influences on Beacon Hill. Of course, we teased David (who was also at the BBQ) mercilessly about it.
Also spotted at the BBQ: Melrose Rep. Mike Festa, running for reelection (formerly running for Middlesex DA before dropping out of the race) who is always fun to talk to, and Acton-area Rep and longtime Deval supporter Jamie Eldridge.
August 27th, 2006 at 11:05 pm
While you guys were living it up and having fun, some of us were trudging through the rain canvassing in hostile territory!
August 28th, 2006 at 1:30 pm
What, were you on Reilly’s street?
August 28th, 2006 at 10:58 pm
Hi Lynne,
Together We Can and We Did!
Thanks to you and your Lowell Deval supporters for making our Patrick in Pepperell BBQ
a mega-success! This event was co-hosted by 18 towns in our region and had 28 co-hosts
working on fundraising. Our current tally is $16,000 plus and continues to grow today as well.
Deval and Diane hung out with us like we all had known each other for quite a while. Our guests
truly felt honored to be able to sit with him and get answers to their questions.
Sept 19 will tell the story!
Thanks for covering the BBQ on your site!
A Devalunteer from Pepperell. Alice
August 29th, 2006 at 9:39 am
Alice…Great Show Sunday! Thanks so much for your generosity!
August 29th, 2006 at 11:20 am
Alice: I’d like to second Kristin’s thanks; the fundraiser was fantastic, despite the dreary weather.
Just another nice little Deval anecdote to pass along:
A little while ago Carrie was contacted by the DP campaign for potential involvement in a TV ad. Unfortunately she ended up going into the hospital right around the time this was scheduled to happen. You can’t imagine how disappointed she was!
Well, at the cookout on Sunday, we were waiting to say goodbye to Deval (who we’ve now met – if only briefly – a couple of times). He was in the middle of a conversation with someone else, but he recognized Carrie and interrupted himself to tell her not to go anywhere. When he finished his conversation, he came over to us, gave Carrie a big hug, and asked her how the hospital stay had been, and if she was feeling better. (He also said that he’d have to get her into another commercial!) She was on cloud nine!
Now, I imagine that Deval had been briefed on the guest list by his staff (props to Martha McLaughlin and her 1000 phone calls, btw, and I’m still blown away by Tom McGrath postponing back surgery for the caucus!), but for him to take even a moment to connect on a personal level with even just an “average” volunteer – one of 7000 across the state – speaks volumes about the kind of man he is.