The V-Day Warriors at the University of Colorado fight to end violence against women with their charitable work. The college organization raises money for Moving to End Sexual Assault, the only rape crisis center in Boulder. MESA has served thousands of sexual violence victims, and the V-Day Warriors are devoted to supporting the center, which operates with the help of donations and volunteers.

Supporting women through charity work  

In its four decades of activity, MESA has endured many ups and downs, but through the hard work of women working together and the assistance of volunteers, it has helped over 34,000 sexual assault victims. Today, the center operates a 24-hour crisis hotline, offers counseling services and provides community prevention education.

The V-Day Warriors seek to raise awareness about MESA to reach more women with their services and inspire change and conversation in the wider community.

“It is the CU V-Day Warriors’ mission to fundraise and donate to MESA because we strive to create an inclusive and safe environment that promotes a dialogue acknowledging all experiences and ideas,” said Rachel Dulcey, the group’s leader.

Raising money through a restaurant fundraiser

The V-Day Warriors chose to host a fundraiser for MESA at Rueben’s Burger Bistro, a Boulder restaurant located near the CU campus that offers organic, locally-sourced menu options, like specialty burgers.

They advertised the fundraiser on their Facebook page and created a special event page to give supporters more information and updates leading up to the big day. The college organization also wrote with chalk on the pavement on campus to spread their message.

When the group entered the restaurant on the day of the fundraiser, Rachel said the manager met them warmly. “It was incredibly endearing to be immediately greeted by the manager at Rueben’s,” she said. “He told us a story about how the whole staff welcomed us and was excited that we were here. He said our chalking across campus had brought together a community that cared about giving back and we were incredibly grateful.”

College organization makes an impact

At the end of a fun evening with friends and delicious food, the V-Day Warriors raised $200 to donate to MESA. The money will support the center’s continued services and volunteer training programs, and the group was happy to give back to a cause they felt passionately about.

“Using GroupRaise to fundraise for our cause not only helped our organization be recognized by the community, but also allowed us to spread the word about the importance of MESA,” Rachel said.

Think that this could work for your charity?

Booking a fundraiser takes only 1 minute and 3 simple steps:

1. Find a restaurant in your area. Select a date, and time.
2. Estimate the number of RSVPs.
3. Press submit!