Despairing Eastbridge residents, increasingly convinced that Forest City will never actually build their long-promised park at 26th Ave., have taken to “viral” fundraising in an effort to collect the money to build the park themselves.
Inspired by the ALS Foundation’s “Ice Bucket Challenge,” the newly formed Where’s Our F***ing Park Foundation has begun promoting the “Box Wine Challenge,” in which participants are encouraged to drain a box of wine into a bucket, dump it on their heads, and then “nominate” three of their neighbors to do the same.
Those who turn down the “challenge” can save face by donating $100 to Where’s Our F***ing Park Foundation, but those who participate are encouraged to donate anyway.
Eastbridge resident Andrea Gaies came up with the idea for the “challenge” while discussing the under-construction park in Conservatory Green, and drinking what she described as “terrible” box wine, during a recent Bunco party. “Just as I was finishing off my fourth glass of the awful stuff, one of the other ladies at my table was saying she couldn’t believe Forest City is building a park up there before they’ve even started on our park,” she said. “We all completely agreed, of course. And that’s when it hit me. We could do something like that ALS thing, but with wine. I mean, we are all whining about it, so it also has a double meaning.”
“All the ladies at my Bunco table agreed it was a great idea,” she added. “A couple of them pointed out that dumping wine on your body will make you stickier and smellier than dumping ice water, but we all felt it would be worth it, since it’s for a good cause. Just like fighting ALS.”
Gaies said the Where’s Our F***ing Park Foundation is attempting to secure sponsorships from local liquor stores such as Vics Liquors. “If they would agree to make a matching donation of some percentage of every box of wine that gets purchased because of this, we could raise hundreds of dollars from that alone,” she explained.
At press time, the Where’s Our F***ing Park Foundation’s new Facebook Page said the Box Wine Bucket Challenge had raised “more than $300,” and is “gaining momentum.” Especially with kids going back to school, local stay-at-home parents may be more willing to participate, particularly if the foundation’s latest slogan — “buy one box to dump & one to drink” — catches on.
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