Registration is now open for the 2021 Cheers & Chocolate Community Crawl, a month-long give-back event raising funds and awareness for survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Muskegon County.
Every Woman’s Place (EWP) will host a special version of its beloved Cheers & Chocolate event, traditionally held in downtown Muskegon at the Culinary Institute of Michigan (CIM). In anticipation of a wider reopening of the economy in the spring, the Community Crawl invites businesses to support EWP by committing to giving back a portion of proceeds from featured items during the month of April.
MUSKEGON, MI–FEBRUARY 22, 2020 – In 2021, this event retains the flavor of the original, highlighting food, drink, and fun, and takes the form of a celebratory pub crawl, but includes any business in Muskegon County, not just bars or restaurants. “We recognized it’s important to help boost the economic recovery of the entire community while raising funds and raising awareness of our services for domestic and sexual violence,” stated Elisa Hopper, EWP’s Director of Development.
Kim Dimmett, Executive Director, commented on the planned event, “The Muskegon community has supported Every Woman’s Place for years to benefit survivors seeking restoration after abuse, and now it’s our turn. We have seen what can and does happen, daily, when hope reappears in the lives of those struggling to overcome barriers. When an individual enters into services, we walk beside them as they move forward. We make this same commitment to our community members and businesses.”
Each Community Crawl business participant determines the give-back percentage they wish to donate to support EWP’s services, and Every Woman’s Place will promote each participating business and their featured items in digital media, in print, and through community partners.
Community Crawl (April 1-30)
The Cheers & Chocolate Community Crawl will begin on April 1, 2021 and continue through April 30, 2021. The event encourages the whole community to frequent area businesses to purchase the featured Cheers items in support of both the business and EWP.
The first 12 businesses to register for the Community Crawl will appear in a two- minute segment of a Community Crawl Walking Tour video, which will kick off the Community Crawl on March 31.
EWP will parallel the Community Crawl with an awareness initiative that offers
free bar coasters and bathroom stall flyers to area bars, restaurants, and eateries. The coasters promote awareness of the issue of sexual assault and provides hotline and other resource information.
“We are excited to expand our Sexual Assault Awareness Month outreach efforts by partnering with local establishments throughout the month of April”, said Sarah de la Rosa, EWP Non-Residential Program Manager and SART Coordinator. “Joining efforts with popular businesses in our community lets us get the word out to survivors who may not otherwise reach out to EWP for assistance.”
Community Crawl Finish Line (April 24, 5-8 pm)
This full month of community engagement will be capped off by the Community Crawl Finish Line. The Finish Line is an all-day “eat, drink and stroll” through the Muskegon downtown Social District, with live entertainment at the end of the evening, which will be broadcast on MuskegonChannel.com for those wishing to watch from home.
The Finish Line will also feature the sale of boxed hand-made chocolates prepared especially for Cheers & Chocolate by the student chefs of the Culinary Institute of Michigan.
In-person and from-home attendees of the Finish Line can reserve their choice of boxed chocolates, priced from $10 to $20 and in 4-count, 8-count, or 12-count sizes, for pickup either at EWP or the Finish Line.
Sponsor opportunities are available to support this community-wide event, including Community Sponsorships from $350 to $1000, plus:
Finish Line Sponsor, an exclusive opportunity to support the Finish Line
festivities ($7,000)
Day Sponsors, who commit to matching the proceeds donated by businesses for a particular day of the month (up to $2,500)
Starting Line Sponsor, also matching total proceeds for the month of April, up to $4,000
This event raises funds to support the work of Every Woman’s Place. For 45 years, Every Woman’s Place has provided support to victims of domestic and sexual violence. EWP provides safe shelter, a 24-Hour Crisis Line, counseling, a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), legal advocacy and services for men, women, and children who have been affected by sexual assault, domestic violence, and sex trafficking. # # #