Barbecue, Bingo and a Date Night Deal: YMCA Fundraiser Comes to Moe’s in Daphne Nov. 6

DAPHNE, Ala. — The YMCA of South Alabama is inviting grown-ups to an evening of barbecue, drinks and bingo next month, with every dollar going to help local children and families afford the Y. The adults-only YMCA fundraiser, called Good Times for a Good Cause, is set for Friday, Nov. 6, at 6 p.m. at Moe’s Original BBQ in Daphne.

The evening includes dinner, adult beverages, rounds of bingo and prizes. All proceeds will go directly to the YMCA of South Alabama’s Financial Assistance program, which helps make memberships and programs available to people who might otherwise be unable to pay.

Event details

• What: Good Times for a Good Cause, an adults-only fundraiser for the YMCA of South Alabama
• When: Friday, Nov. 6, 6 p.m.
• Where: Moe’s Original BBQ, Daphne
• Individual ticket: $50, including dinner, two adult beverage tickets and one bingo card per round
• Date night package: $125, including two adult tickets plus child care and a meal for one child at the Bounds Family YMCA; additional children may be added for $15 each
• Sponsorships: Available
• Beneficiary: YMCA of South Alabama Financial Assistance program

A night out with child care built in

One of the more practical features of the fundraiser is its date night package. For $125, two adults get their tickets to the party while one child is cared for and fed at Bounds, the YMCA’s Daphne branch. Families with more than one child can add each additional child for $15.

The arrangement gives parents a chance to enjoy an evening out without the usual scramble to line up a sitter, while the money they spend supports the same kinds of programs their children may already use at the Y.

Individual tickets cost $50 and cover dinner, two drink tickets and a bingo card for each round of play. Prizes will be awarded throughout the night.

Where the money goes

The YMCA of South Alabama’s Financial Assistance program provides critical funding to help children and families in the area take part in YMCA programs. The goal, according to the organization, is to ensure that more people in the community can belong, participate and thrive regardless of financial limitations.

Like YMCAs across the country, the YMCA of South Alabama is a nonprofit, and it relies on donations and fundraising events to offer reduced-cost access to members who need help. That support can make the difference for a family weighing the cost of after-school care, summer camp, swim lessons or a gym membership against other household bills.

The organization has made a point of expanding access in recent times. Last November, for example, the YMCA of South Alabama offered free facility access for the month to people receiving SNAP benefits and to federal employees, covering fitness centers, pools and group exercise classes with no joining fee or monthly dues. At the time, CEO Gwen Sommer said the Y believes everyone in the community deserves access to health, well-being and connection.

About the YMCA of South Alabama

The YMCA of South Alabama operates branches on both sides of Mobile Bay, including the Bounds Family YMCA in Daphne, the Snook Family YMCA in Foley, the Spanish Fort Y Express and the North Mobile Family YMCA in Saraland. Its programs span fitness, aquatics, youth sports, child care and community health.

The local Y is part of a movement with deep roots. The Young Men’s Christian Association was founded in London in 1844, and the first U.S. YMCA opened in Boston in 1851. Today YMCAs are among the largest nonprofit community service organizations in the United States, known for swim lessons, youth sports, camps, child care and wellness programs.

A Daphne gathering spot

The fundraiser’s host, Moe’s Original BBQ, has become a popular gathering spot in Daphne’s bayfront area near Bayfront Park. The Daphne restaurant opened in 2009 in an old house in the historic Edgewater Heights neighborhood, and owner Mark White later built a larger restaurant next door on Bayfront Park Drive, designed with event spaces, a drive-through window, covered outdoor seating and a second-story bar and deck.

Moe’s Original BBQ traces its roots to Vail, Colorado, and White opened the first Moe’s location outside Colorado in Orange Beach in 2006. His Gulf Coast locations now stretch from Orange Beach to downtown Mobile. The restaurant’s event spaces make it a natural fit for community gatherings and benefit nights like this one.

The surrounding area has also changed in recent years. The city of Daphne invested in a revitalization of the streets around Bayfront Park, adding a boardwalk, an amphitheater, paving and wider streets to create a destination for outdoor entertainment.

How to take part

• Purchase tickets in advance through the YMCA of South Alabama; individual tickets are $50 and date night packages are $125.
• If you choose the date night package, plan to drop off your child at the Bounds Family YMCA before heading to Moe’s.
• The event is for adults only, so children should not attend the party itself.
• Businesses and individuals interested in sponsoring the event can contact the YMCA of South Alabama.
• Those who cannot attend can still support the Financial Assistance program by donating directly to the YMCA of South Alabama.

More information about the YMCA of South Alabama and its programs is available at ysal.org.