[Archived] Season Tickets For Charity

[Hypo-Luxa]

As you all may or may not be aware, a few boardmembers located on various continents across the globe have decided to buy a few season tickets and donate them to charity. The goal in doing this is not only to help with the unfortunate attendance issue, but also to help out the youth in and around Blackburn.

The goal is to purchase an adult ticket (mentor/chaperone) and a few children's tickets so that various charities in Blackburn could utilize them via mentoring programs.

I've spoken to a representative with Rovers who will be happy to facilitate turning these season tickets into game day tickets and giving them to a local charity representative (whom I have also spoken to) that Rovers have a good relationship with for the dissemination of the tickets to the worthy cause.

I have set up a PayPal account which would probably be the best way to go since donations can be made easily by credit card or through a transfer from your bank account from around the world. I will produce a tally to all contributors so that this can be as transparent as possible. So if anyone would like to stay anonymous I will use a nickname for your contribution so as to keep your name out of it.

To be clear if you would like to contribute, any amount is welcomed. We are not looking for huge donations from anyone(although we wouldn't refuse them either), just something if you are interested in helping the Rovers and youth of Blackburn.

In the event that not enough money is raised to purchase a few season tickets well, something else might be worked out like purchasing Rovers kits and given to orphanages or schools or something of the like. Obviously this depends upon the amount that is raised.

I would like to give everyone as long as possible to donate, but I would also like to give the Rovers representative who has been kind enough to assist us in this endeavor enough time to take care of this without having to rush our request.

For anyone who operates or subscribes to a foreign Supporter's site it would be nice for this to be posted there in case anyone who doesn't frequent this MessageBoard would have the opportunity to donate.

If anyone has any questions, or concerns please feel free to PM or e-mail me. Also if you would like to contribute any amount at all PM or e-mail me.

My e-mail is [email protected] and I'll be happy to answer any and all questions you all might have.

Thanks for your time and consideration and hopefully we can get a good amount raised to get some butts in seats and help out some youth around Blackburn!

Up the Rovers!

[Hypo-Luxa]

I wanted to update anyone whow as interested on the progress of the Season Tickets for Charity. Through the first weekend we've gotten enough through commitments and donations for our base goal of one adult and two kid's tickets. If a few members who had expressed interest earlier in the process come through, we'll be well on our way for one adult and 4 kid's tickets.

Speaking with the charity contact, there is no shortage of worthy causes so these tickets will not go empty, even with 4 kid's per game.

The soft deadline for the donations will be August 5th so that on August 6th the tickets can be purchased in plenty of time for the first game on the 15th against Villa. I want to give the Rovers contact enough time to get everything together since their office has to be in such a tizzy with the new season approaching and the takeover machinations (no I don't have any insight on that score, unfortunately). But if the contact with Rovers expresses that we can wait until later I'd love to leave the donations window open until the last minute. I am leaving the ball in their court and will update if the deadline does change.

Thanks again for everyone's support and kind words.

[dcbrfc]

I've put you a link in my blog

[Hypo-Luxa]

Further update for any and all interested.

So far the total contributions come to 450 pounds with a few commitments still not contributed at a further 350 pounds! The goal of one adult and two children has been met with the donations already in hand. If the commitments come through, there will be enough for one adult and SIX children with a few quid left over! That would be a major accomplishment for a group of locals, ex-pats and overseas fans.

I have been given the information of the Ticket Office Manager so once the monies have come in from the people who have expressed their desire to contribute but haven't just yet donated the purchase of the tickets will be very quickly afterward.

Both the charity contact and the Rovers contact have been on vacation for the past two weeks so now that everyone is back or coming back shortly we should see some more activity to keep everyone updated.

If anyone is interested in donating please just PM me or e-mail me at [email protected] and I will answer any questions and/or let you know where to make payments to.

Now comes a question to all who donated as well as anyone else who might have an idea for the left over monies that will inevitably be left after the tickets are purchased. I would personally like for the children to have something to take home with them after the match, however, a scarf or something like that for 6 kids for 15 or so matches would be way too large of a bill to foot. Anyone have any ideas? Should we roll over this left over for next year's initiative?

Thanks again to everyone and I hope to get this sewn up before the weekend!

[Eddie]

Maybe if you got in touch with the club they might give you a discount on something to give to the kids?

[Hypo-Luxa]

Maybe if you got in touch with the club they might give you a discount on something to give to the kids?

yeah the charity contact also mentioned something of that sort. But I just don't know how much of a discount they can give...

I was thinking maybe a free pie or other concession item coupon. That way we could get more for our buck. But that's not as nice as a scarf or a program or something like taht...How much are programs?

[Driftpeasant]

yeah the charity contact also mentioned something of that sort. But I just don't know how much of a discount they can give...

I was thinking maybe a free pie or other concession item coupon. That way we could get more for our buck. But that's not as nice as a scarf or a program or something like taht...How much are programs?

Well, I can't speak to the Official Scarves, since the club shop doesn't place them for sale on the website, but off eBay they run about $10 USD/5 GBP. I could probably scrape up the funds to donate 10 or so of them. They're rather bad scarves though...

[Hypo-Luxa]

Yet another update:

In speaking with the charity contact it looks as though one adult wrangling 6 kids would be very unrealistic. Since these mentors/chaperones are volunteers, this 6:1 ratio would probably drive away any volunteers there might otherwise have been. So since the best ratio is 2 kids to one adult it looks like we'll be purchasing two adult tickets and two children's tickets. If those who had offered a donation earlier come through within the next day or two we can get 4 kids and two adults with not very much to spare.

So as of now we are at 2 adult tickets and two children. A few contributors and myself could stump up enough for another child's ticket, but we'd really like to get 4 kids out there. I should know within the next few days which option will be available to us when the few donors who had earlier stated interest either contribute or let me know that they aren't able to at this time, which of course is completely fine.

Also I have been given some information that might help facilitate a donation from Rovers in the form of free programmes or some other sort of coupon for the concessions. I'll let everyone know what those arrangements are if any are made.

[waggy]

superb effort this by you overseas fans,i would like to think i sewed the first seed are the contributers going to use these tickets when they visit ewood????

[Driftpeasant]

superb effort this by you overseas fans,i would like to think i sewed the first seed are the contributers going to use these tickets when they visit ewood????

Speaking personally, no. If I make it to Ewood this year I'll queue up and get a ticket like everyone else. I'd hate to deprive a kid of a chance to fall in love with Rovers.

[Hypo-Luxa]

superb effort this by you overseas fans,i would like to think i sewed the first seed are the contributers going to use these tickets when they visit ewood????

Nope. the wife and I will be paying for our own seats against Chelsea and Portsmouth (and hopefully a mid-week Cup game!).

I didn't know you suggested this, but along with myself and a few others on here we've always had the idea, we've just never done anything about it. I guess the stars were aligned and the earth was at an acute axis or something to get us all on the same page.

What is outstanding is that there are two Yanks, two Aussies and three 'locals' who contributed! I wouldn't have thought the locals would outpace the overseas donors but they almost did and top marks to them for it.

There's also been talk that this might get a mention in one of the Game Day programs. It was mentioned by one of the contacts I was speaking with so who knows. We didn't do this for any recognition, but if the effort gets any publicity it could help with any future drives of the same sort.

I'm waiting to speak with the Rovers representative one last time before I purchase the tickets. After these have been purchased I'll have a better guage on how many were actually purchased.

As of now, we have enough for two adults and four children's tickets. I'm hoping some last minute maneuvering can net us two more kid's tickets to make it 2 adults and 6 children, so we shall see...

[Hypo-Luxa]

Well ladies and gentlemen, the Season Tickets have been purchased and will be ready for distribution for Sunday's Arsenal clash. The amount raised was enough for 2 adults and 4 children, fully blowing the intial goal of one adult and one child out of the water! The first charity up for the tickets is the Women's Aid of Blackburn and Darwen. This charity houses women and their children who need to escape an abusive home environment. The good part about this charity is that not only do children who probably couldn't normally go to Ewood now get to go but they get to go with their mother and siblings.

This charity will not be the only one selected for the season tickets, but it will get a good share. I want to spread the tickets around a few different charities to see what works best for this idea for next year's drive, assuming that this one goes off as well as the collections have.

As for the collections, below is the list of donors and the amounts contributed. Some wanted to remain anonymous and some didn't care. I thank each and every one of the donors for their desire and commitment to the idea.

NWeaver - 100 pounds

LongridgeGuy - 100 pounds

Ace - 25 pounds

AussieRoverFan - $200 AUD

West Aussie Rover - $100 AUD

Driftpeasant - 299 pounds

HypoLuxa - 250 pounds

Again, I must commend everyone who contributed and who expressed their interest but just didn't have the resources at the time. I know that this request was done rather slap-dash and I am very thankful the people who contributed did so in full trust. I can see how this could be looked upon with skepticism and for next year's drive I will work hard on not only being more prompt in getting the tickets bought, but also get the process much more polished so that anyone the least bit interested in contributing might not be put off by some random bloke asking for money. I fear this has happened this year, but I am determined to not have it happen next year.

Also JWilliams' PA has been outstanding through this entire process as well as the Ticket Office Manager. I only hope this didn't cause the Season Ticket delivery delays Also Wendy Hobson, the charity liaison, has been a HUGE help. She has been and is a wealth of information for a non-resident like myself. She's also a rabid Rovers supporter (been a ST holder since the Div 3 days) so her love for the club is only eclipsed by her love of the local area and those who might be in need. She will be doing a lot of the leg-work in getting the tickets to the applicable people and I thank her heartily for it.

Anyway, thanks again for everyone's kind words and donations and I will post an update about how everything went on Sunday as soon after the game as I can.

[Neil Weaver]

A brilliant effort to co-ordinate everything H-L. Bet your phone bill for trans-Atlantic calls has gone up a bit over the past couple of months! If you want to continue the idea next year (maybe with you not being as central!) I wonder if it's worth letting Rovers/local newspaper know when you're over : might help the idea get a bit more publicity and get a few 'corporate' folk involved.

[West Aussie]

Superb effort Hypo were proud of you.

A great idea to promote this further, get your mug in the telegraph with the spool and look for further corporate donations next year!

Count me in again next year, I'll start saving

[waggy]

fantastic effort by the one's who contributed,do i qualify for useage

[Hypo-Luxa]

fantastic effort by the one's who contributed,do i qualify for useage

you're most definitely eligible for usage! Just volunteer to be a mentor and look after 2-3 kids!

Seaking of, Action Mentors have the tickets for the Citeh game. So there will be two mentors and 4 kids living in "Care' which I believe are kids in orphanages/foster care.

I'm still waiting on an update from the lady who distributed the tickets for the Arsenal game. Once I get an update as to how everyone liked their seats and the game and such, I'll post on here.

[waggy]

you're most definitely eligible for usage! Just volunteer to be a mentor and look after 2-3 kids!

looking after junior is bad enough,never mind another 2

[Hypo-Luxa]

I'm still waiting on an update from the lady who distributed the tickets for the Arsenal game. Once I get an update as to how everyone liked their seats and the game and such, I'll post on here.

And as if on cue, I received an update from the contact who distributed the tickets to the Arsenal game. Below is the e-mail sent just now:

"My name is Lucy and I am a floating support worker at Women’s Aid in Blackburn. My role is to support women and children in the community who have experienced domestic abuse, as I’m sure you can imagine, the effects of this trauma can be devastating. My role involves supporting these families to re build their lives in every aspect and begin a more positive life.

The majority of the families we support, are in receipt of welfare benefits and so have little dispensable income for recreational activities.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude of the donation of the tickets for the Rovers for the use of our clients. The feedback so far from the families who attended is extremely positive and the children were thrilled to have the opportunity to experience Rovers at first hand!

Once again, thank you"

Good to hear the kiddoes had a good time! As mentioned before, a lot of these groups cannot have published pictures as usually the children taking advantage of these tickets are escaping an abusive home and any added exposure isn't advisable.

But hopefully we can get a few anecdotes or stories of some good times had by the children.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Well done to those who contributed..... a hell of a lot of good folk on here!

[dillo_dillo]

I really intersting to read this.

I want to know more detail...I waant read it.PDf is good.

Doyou have concrt out line?

[Hypo-Luxa]

I really intersting to read this.

I want to know more detail...I waant read it.PDf is good.

Doyou have concrt out line?

err, dillo, mate, I'm not quite sure what you're asking here...Do you have specific questions or were you just wanting to read in more detail how this came about?

[Hypo-Luxa]

This past Sunday saw Rovers' second home game and along with that a second chance for the season tickets to be used. As was stated above, these tickets were given to the Child Action Northwest(C.A.N.) and two mentors accompanied the children to the match which for all intents and purposes was more exciting than the final score-line (if you are a Rovers fan). This is what was sent from the contact at C.A.N.;

" the kids were ecstatic as this was their very first time to a “real !!!!!!!! Football match” their words! The children were very impressed that the tickets had been paid for in America!

Personally knowing the children’s response to going to the match I would like to thank all of you that donated to the tickets, as a project we would love to give the children we support the opportunity to do these things but as a charity do not have the funds to provide this for them, so your donation has made a huge impact I am sure not only to my project and the children we support but to lots of children within our community.

Thank you again and am sorry we are unable to provide our children’s details or any pictures as I am sure you appreciate the sensitivity of working with under privileged and looked after children."

I replied that in all actuality the financial burden of these tickets was paid for by a contingent of Aussies, Brits and Yanks.

Anyway, the next home game is a fair few weeks away against Portsmouth(I'll be there!!) and I will see what charity will be utilized next. I think with two games down we've already achieved our goal of not only filling a few seats but also making a difference with the underprivileged around Blackburn. I can say growing up with not a lot of money around the house when I was finally able to watch my first LIVE sporting event I was blown away and a die-hard fan from that day on. I can only hope the same could be said of the children attending the first two matches so far. And let's be fair, Arsenal and Manchester City both gave the home crowd a great show, albeit for different reasons!

At any rate, Roll on Rovers and for once I'm glad for this Int'l break so we can get a few guys healthy again.

[Hypo-Luxa]

I wanted to update anyone who was interested before I got completely embroiled in plans for my upcoming trip. The seats for the Portsmouth game are going to be donated to the Women's Aid charity, the same one as who used the tickets for the Arsenal game. Hopefully the family will have as good a time as the first did. This looks like a good charity to use as more children can experience Rovers than with the mentor groups. However for next year if there is enough interest maybe we can arrange for flex tickets which can be used for children, or adults, or even young adults. But that is for another time.

I'm hoping we can get the tickets donated to the Carer group(I don't know the official name of it) which are children who because of adverse situations at home have to stay at home and take care of parents or siblings and do not have any means to do much of anything kids should be able to do. Since this is a group where taking pictures of the recipients would not be a bad idea (given their consent) I'd try and have some photo's taken and displayed to everyone so we have visual evidence of how these tickets are being put to use.

Presently I have a few interested people who couldn't make the season ticket doantion, but are now willing and able to contribute now. I wanted to ask the general public if there'd be anyopne else interested in donating for Cup Games (UEFA, Carling, or FA). if so let me know within the next few weeks and I'll know whether this is a viable option for us to act upon. Anyone who is indeed interested please give me an e-mail at [email protected]. My PM box is so close to full these days that I'd hate to miss anyone's PM because my inbox was full.

I also wanted to ask if everyone liked having this pinned or if everyone would rather have it un-pinned and just read it as it is updated in the general area of the messageboard? I reallyappreciate the mod's letting us have it pinned for this long, but I don't want to clutter up the board if the majority is not interested in reading it all the time.

At any rate, thanks for everyone's interest and I hope Rovers can continue to give the kids a good show at Ewood and show these kids that there are other teams worth watching other than ManU, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea!

[roversmum]

Don't know if you have any Young Carers' links, my granddaughters belong to the Chorley and South Ribble Young Carers.

here is one for Blackburn - don't know much about this one though

and Young Carers' Initiative including the Blackburn contact.

One of my granddaughters went on a trip to Liverpool including tour of the ground and gift but they didn't go to a match. I always bring one of them to Rovers, sometimes two and their disabled sister as well.

Please keep this topic pinned, it keeps it in people's minds and is easier to update what is happening.

[Hypo-Luxa]

Don't know if you have any Young Carers' links, my granddaughters belong to the Chorley and South Ribble Young Carers.

here is one for Blackburn - don't know much about this one though

and Young Carers' Initiative including the Blackburn contact.

One of my granddaughters went on a trip to Liverpool including tour of the ground and gift but they didn't go to a match. I always bring one of them to Rovers, sometimes two and their disabled sister as well.

Please keep this topic pinned, it keeps it in people's minds and is easier to update what is happening.

Thanks for those links, roversmum! To be truthful I didn't know these sorts of initiatives existed. I'm still not sure if they do over here in the States, but it is a worthy cause, I think. But for anyone interested just follow these links to see where these tickets will go to in the near future.

It's probably best your granddaughter didn't see the Liverpool match. I'd hate for her taste in football to be forever ruined.