By JESSALYN KIRCHHOFF
Tiger Media Network
The FHSU Economics Club is hosting their first-ever Valentine’s Day fundraiser tomorrow evening from 5:00-8:00 pm in partnership with Defiance Brewing Co. at their Downtown location at the corner of Fort and 7th St.
“This event was designed to give couples another option for their date night on the well-known holiday of Valentine’s Day,” Defiance Downtown General Manager Amanda Sloan said. “Not only are we looking to provide another option of venue, but one with outstanding prices!”
Co-President of the FHSU Economics Club, Nate Egan speaks on the difficulty of fundraising for clubs and organizations on campus and the solution most clubs have resorted to.
“Outside of Oktoberfest, many of the clubs here at Fort Hays don’t have many other big fundraising opportunities. In solution to this, many clubs have begun partnering with local businesses for a small percentage of their proceeds,” Egan said. “Not only does this serve as a ‘low maintenance’ fundraising experience for the organization, but it doubles as a mutually beneficial event for the business as well.”
Sloan picks up this thought where Nate leaves off from the business side of the partnership.
“We love partnering with different organizations in the district to really reach out to not only the community that I personally have called home for so long, but to connect with the people that have newly joined our great town,” Sloan said.
Sloan continues by stating these partnerships welcome so many different people to the business.
“Whether people were either unaware of our existence or just unfamiliar with the community of Hays, such as students new to FHSU from out of town, partnering with the university boosts our visibility within the community,” she said. “Partnerships like the Vday special with the Econ Club allows us as a business to give back to those organizations and help them grow while also bridging the gap between FHSU and the city of Hays.”
In addition to this being the first Valentine’s Day fundraiser that the Economics Club has ever hosted, to Sloan’s knowledge this is the first ever ‘Valentine’s Day Special’ that Defiance Downtown has also hosted. Sloan expresses her extreme excitement to potentially make this an annual event that students and community members alike would look forward to each year.
“We would absolutely love to make this an annual event for the community and/or organizations on campus,” she said. “We have loved working with the Economics Club, but if they are ever unable to participate, we still hope to make it a fun and exciting event for years to come at Defiance.”
Egan shares a similar sentiment regarding an annual event.
“Having a statement-piece fundraiser for the Economics Club would be phenomenal for the club’s finances and our presence in the community,” he said.
Sloan emphasizes the importance of FHSU and local Hays businesses partnering with each other.
“This opportunity lets people know that we are here, and gives them another option for dining experiences. Our downtown location is closely located to the FHSU campus and offers great food at great prices, further helping those college kids that are eating out on a budget,” she said. “It also brings people together that may not normally spend time together. Therefore only tightening our bond between FHSU and our community.”