Roastin' for Research GSO Final Tally!
The results are in and by all accounts Roastin’ GSO 2023 was a huge success. The online auction set a record, raising almost $17,000 alone! All totaled – auction, raffle, tickets, sponsors, merchandise – Saturday generated approx. $60,000 for Reelin’ for Research and the fight against childhood cancer!
Thank you once again to our sponsors (below), all the volunteers, the auction and raffle donors, and everyone that came out to eat, listened to the music, or bid on items in the auction. Special thanks to Matt Dylan and The Honky Tonk Outlaws, Camel City Yacht Club, our title sponsor, the Tucker Family Foundation, and last but not least our friends at Bender’s Tavern, who kept the excellent food coming and beverages flowing!
-Ken & Lee's Crew
Tucker Family Foundation | Bay Hill Seafood Sales | Arden Homes | Forbis and Dick Funeral Services | Blu Ladder Construction | Due South Fishing Charters | Maynard-Nexsen | Parks Buick GMC | Brown Investment Properties | Hailey Ernest, REALTOR® | ER Law | The Fitzsimmons Group- Allen Tate | Piedmont Natural Gas | Tito's Vodka | Truist Wealth Advisors
Ken and Lee Conrad were known for their hospitality but it was their huge oyster roasts and fish fry's that really stood out to their friends and family. As the Crew looked for opportunities to support the cause, oyster roasts seemed like a natural fit.
The first oyster roast fundraiser was held in Feb 2016 in a Charlotte back yard. It raised about $1,500 for PANCAN through donations and t-shirt sales. The backyard events grew quickly, though, and were soon too big for the crew's houses. In April 2019, the team held the first Greensboro fundraiser at Libby Hill Seafood, which added live music and a fish fry to help support Reelin' for Research and UNC Children's Hospital.
The team coined the name "Roastin' for Research" in 2020, and joined forces with Charlotte's Divine Barrel Brewing and Greensboro's Bender's Tavern for two big events in November 2021 and April 2022 respectively. Featuring online auctions, raffles, and the first corporate sponsors, the two roasts grossed over $50,000 for childhood cancer research.
