Cause for Celebration: A Mixer for the Measles Initiative

American Red Cross of Greater Chicago Hosts Innovative Fundraiser

Monday, December 08, 2008 — It was the party to end all parties: The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago opened McFadden’s pub in Chicago for beer and wine donated by Heineken, offered a raffle with gift certificates from popular hotels and bars and hosted 120 people that all cared about making a difference. After all, it was a Measles Initiative fundraiser – what could be more fun?

Carrie Wall, Manager of Health and International Services at the chapter and Becky Streifler, Director of Health and International Services. Photo by Anthony Vales, volunteer staff for Disaster Services and Marketing & Communications.
As the Manager of Health and International Services at the chapter, Carrie Wall worked hard with a planning committee to create that atmosphere. Her chapter had never held a fundraiser for the Measles Initiative and she wanted to make it a success.

“We started planning a year out, timing our efforts with the planned launch of the vaccination campaign in India,” Wall explains. “We also have a large Indian American community in our area and we saw a great opportunity to reach out and get new volunteers involved in the Initiative.”

Event planning was supported by Colleen Carrell, an International Services intern that had recently graduated from college. Carrell had two close friends with strong ties to the Indian American community, so after the event had been set up, they pooled together their contacts and invited as many people as possible.

“This event was not just about fundraising for the Measles Initiative.,” Wall says. “It is a great asset to our chapter to have a whole new group of people that can support our programs. We are excited to use these volunteers to extend the services we provide to new communities in Chicago.”

The committee’s hard work paid off. In addition to fundraising over $3,300 at the event, the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago raised money through mail and their website from donors that could not attend the event. They added new members to their email lists and have retained volunteers for their other programs. In fact, these new measles advocates were later asked to buy themed Holiday cards to support the Initiative, allowing the chapter to sell fifteen boxes.

Based on this success, the Greater Chicago chapter plans to host another event to raise money for the Measles Initiative. If history is any indication, the event won’t just raise money – it will also be a fun time.

The Measles Initiative is a partnership committed to reducing measles deaths globally. Launched in 2001, the Initiative—led by the American Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the World Health Organization—provides technical and financial support to governments and communities on vaccination campaigns worldwide. To date, the Initiative has supported the vaccination of more than 600 million children in more than 60 countries helping reduce measles deaths by 74% globally and 89% in Africa (compared to 2000).. To learn more or make a donation, visit www.measlesinitiative.org.