After Coronavirus came to Detroit in March, plans throughout the organization were disrupted for safety concerns. This ultimately required Matrix Human Services to reconsider each of our annual fundraiser events, including our annual rooftop party, 313-in-the-D. Normally hosted on the rooftop at 3Fifty Terrace in Detroit, we knew this year would have to be different.
Thanks to the quick thinking of Whitney Griffin, our events organizer, we were able to put together a plan for a virtual house party, allowing people to still participate in the usual fun activities on the roof including a DJ, party host, raffle, and good food.
The plan was to provide “attendees” with a House Party Pack. Inside the pack were donated goods from some amazing businesses around Detroit. A taco kit for 4 people was prepared for each box, including some fun food items like flavored pop-corn from Nikki’s Unique Treats, some delicious sweets from Bee’s Sweet Treats, some non-alcoholic craft-cocktail mixers from Sumptuous Spirits, and it was all brought together by All Things Detroit.
For the day of the event, we hosted a live stream on our Facebook page, Youtube channel, and our website, featuring iHeartRadio host Ms. Kirby Gwen and DJ Dr. Darrius of 97.9 WJLB. The live stream was a seamless production thanks to Goodboy Multimedia.
We were so happy to hear that virtual attendees enjoyed the Party-Pack and the virtual celebration. Congratulations to our raffle winners as well who enjoyed amazing prizes from businesses that donated throughout Metro-Detroit, including a signed Blake Griffin Jersey, a “barrel of booze”, an experience at TreeRunner Adventure Park in West Bloomfield, a wine and spirits package, a $100 gift card, and much more!
Thanks to the generous donations from the Detroit businesses listed above, they not only made this event possible but helped us raise $50,000 so we can continue to provide essential services and COVID-19 relief programming for the children and families we serve. We could not be more thankful!
Whether you purchased a party pack, donated to Matrix, participated in our raffles, and/or attended our virtual bash, we appreciate you! With your support, Matrix will continue to provide our life-changing services to Detroit‘s most vulnerable populations.
