It was a cool, breezy night. The Bolling Haxall house stood tall and inviting against the Richmond skyline. The windows glowed with a warm atmosphere with joyous shadows passing to and fro. Upon entry, you could see the Lego building voting station and the registration table. Friendly staff hand you a name tag, lego pieces and a stamp to signify you are over 21 years old. Excitement bubbles from within as you take a quick look around. Hugged against the historic mansion’s walls are countless tables bursting with activity. Staff and volunteers stroll elegantly from room to room carrying sheets of information and mouth watering hors d’oeuvres. You grab a lobster wonton and head to the back of the mansion to find your favorite table: IT4Causes!
The table is easy to spot with its colorful spinning wheel shining brightly from two Ipads. Founder Tom Anderson and his Intern Koren Dodd smile and welcome you to the table. Nestled beside the Crossroads Art Center, the two beckon guests to the table to play a free game of chance. You start the game with no hesitation, hoping to win any of the prizes. After entering your email address which automatically puts you in the contest for a $50 VISA giftcard, you watch the colors go round and round. At first the needle almost landed on the UDIG Tumbler cup but instead slowly teetered to the next panel: “Oh no! Zombie Apocalypse and your data wasn’t backed up in cloud.” You shake your head, no prize this time. You bid your farewell and take a wistful look at the other prize: an RVA card. You decide you will probably stroll back through to play again.
The night then flew by! You met so many amazing organizations, listened to live music, met a magician and got an outline of your face stitched into a future piece of art. You had to hold your gut from laughing so much since the ceremony was emceed by the Richmond’s Comedy Coalition. You got to see lustrous handcrafted trophies presented to the winners and had sidewalks light your way to the after party at Pasture. Want to relive the night? Take a look at pictures in our Facebook album. So what do you say? Will we see you at our next event?
