Red, White and Brews

Red (shoes), white (check) and brews (for you)

Join Red Shoe Cville at Wild Wing Café on July 23 at 6pm for Red, White and Brews – our way of celebrating our incredible Members and volunteers while reaching out to fun new people who might like to help us in our mission to build awareness for the Ronald McDonald House of Charlottesville. This is your chance to get an answer to the question “What is Red Shoe?”, hear what we have planned for the rest of the year, meet some new people and, of course, have fun!

The evening’s activities will include a local brewery Tap Takeover, Flip Cup Competition (with prizes!), Corn Hole and presentation of a check to the Ronald McDonald House of Charlottesville for over $20,000, raised at this year’s Red Shoe Cville Downtown Chili Showdown!

Additionally, Red Shoe would like to extend a special invite and thank you to all the hardworking volunteers that made the 2015 Downtown Chili Showdown such a huge success. If you volunteered at the event please know we have a complimentary beer with your name on it!

The only way Red Shoe Cville could be better is if YOU were a part of it!  We are excited about growing our organization this year and spreading the word about the great things the Ronald McDonald House does, so please bring your friends and join us at Wild Wings on July 23rd for a fun night of meeting, greeting and, of course, beer!

Red, White and Brews

Thursday, July 23

6:00pm - 10:00pm

Wild Wing Cafe
820 W. Main St.

Meals from the Heart

At the end of a long day at the hospital, a home cooked meal, prepared with compassion and care, is a welcome sight for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House of Charlottesville.   In an effort to lessen the burden, reduce stress and enhance the quality of life for resident families, RMH of Cville provides a hot meal evening for families to share.  Most nights these meals are prepared by community volunteers.   

On the third Monday of each Red Shoe Cville Members are lucky enough to be able to provide one of these dinners as part of the RMH of Cville "Meals from the Heart Program". Not only is it a great way to give back to our community by supporting RMH of Cville, it's a really fun time that all of our Members look forward to.  

During the summer many of the regularly scheduled groups and organizations that usually fill the RMH of Cville meals calendar are away, so right now they are seeking additional help from RSC to fill in.  If you and your friends are interested in helping out, simply contact RMH of Cville Volunteer Coordinator Mary Ann Coffey at mcoffey@rmhcharlottesville.org.  

For more information on how you can sign up to make a meal with RSC check out our Sign-Up Genius page here. And don't fret if you're new to the process, RSC Volunteer Coordinator, Carl Schwarz, is happy to walk you through everything and answer any questions you might have.  Your help is greatly appreciated and brings comfort to those who really need it!

THANK YOU

We are thrilled to say that you all totally rocked the 2015 Downtown Chili Showdown and with your help we were able to raise over $20,000 for the Ronald McDonald House of Charlottesville.  Yep, you read that right, TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS!   That is A LOT of chili and beer!

We're so grateful to our generous sponsors, amazing volunteers, talented cooks and all the wonderful people of Charlottesville and surrounding communities who came out to join us. While we joke a lot about "drinking for charity" (which we do enjoy doing), but what it really comes down to is that work we do through Red Shoe Cville truly makes a difference in the lives of families with critically ill and injured children who stay at RMH of Cville.  The money we raise allows them to house, feed and care for nearly one thousand families every year - and every single penny counts. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! 

And the Winners Are...

Congratulations to the Winners of the 2015 Downtown Chili Showdown!

1st Place Judge's Choice:  Haven 151 B&B

Runner Up: Belly Achin' Chili

1st Place People's Choice: Belly Achin' Chili

Runner Up: Team Spicy Chicken (Beefalo Chili)

1st Place Best Booth: Belly Achin' Chili

Runner-Up: Doug's Maytag

Congratulations and thank you to all of the amazing chili cooks who participated in our 2015 event. We were blown away by the quality of the chili that each team presented and our judges concurred that narrowing it down to a favorite was extremely difficult.  On behalf of Red Shoe Cville and the Ronald McDonald House of Charlottesville, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You are all winners in our book!

People's Choice: Yes, It IS a Popularity Contest

Did you know that our annual chili cook-off has two different tasting categories?  The first - Judge's Choice - is a blind taste test judged by an esteemed panel of local celebrity judges, based solely on which samples they think taste best.  The second category - People's Choice - is all about the taste...and the money.  With your $10 admission you get one vote, so place it wisely.  But, what if you want to give your favorite chili an edge?  No problem.  Since all of the money we raise goes back to the Ronald McDonald House of Charlottesville, we are so not above giving anyone who is willing to pay for their team to have a competitive advantage in this category the opportunity to do so.   Each ten dollar donation over your initial entry fee gives you one additional vote.  You can give all of your votes to one team - or split them up amongst your favorites, but remember, the team with the most votes takes home not just the prize, but bragging rights as well!  With your donation not only are you giving your favorite chili cooks a competitive edge, you're making the difference in the lives of the hundreds of families who call RMHC a home every year!

So, Chili Cooks, it's up to you to rally your friends, family, colleagues, neighbors and everyone else you know who might owe you a favor to count up their pennies and get them downtown on April 18.  Your pride is depending on them! 

We LOVE Our Sponsors

Wow - the community has REALLY come together to support this year's Downtown Chili Showdown! It truly takes a village to pull this delicious day together so please, take some time to show our sponsors some love!

The Sasha Farmer Team doesn't just help families buy and sell homes across Central Virginia, as huge community supporters they help in a million other ways.  Having faithfully supported Red Shoe Cville in our efforts to build awareness about the Ronald McDonald House Charities since our inception (including having been a sponsor since our very first chili cook-off!) the Sasha Farmer Team has more than earned their highly sought after Spicy Chicken Sponsor designation. Thank you Team, we are so grateful for all of you!

Monticello Media has stepped up again to support us in a BIG way as our 2015 Media Sponsor.  In addition to great ads on all five of their stations, Hot 101.9's PJ Styles is hanging with RSC President Brooke Jenkins and local brewers for a special "What's On Tap?" video segment.  Check it out here! 

A big thanks to Presenting Sponsor  Main Street Arena, for allowing us to take over their amazing space on again on April 18, 2015!  There's no better place to house chili cooks, local breweries, an amazing special VIP seating area (stay tuned for info about this!), fun for the kids and hundreds of the most awesome people from our community raising money for the Ronald McDonald House of Charlottesville!   

Please join us in welcoming The Charlottesville Albemarle Airport, who is jumping in with feet first as our 2015 Habanero Sponsor! We're psyched to have them on board (no pun intended!) and are so very grateful for their generosity.  It would not be possible for us to hold this event without the kindness of our sponsors, so please help us in showing our gratitude by showing our friends at CHO some love!

Portions of the annual operating costs for Ronald McDonald Houses across the country are graciously funded by McDonald’s and owner/operators of local McDonald’s restaurants.  This makes the fact that McDonald's has stepped up as our Cayenne Sponsor for the second year even more awesome.   So, if you happen to be wondering what to do for lunch today....




We are incredibly indebted to the seven local breweries (Blue Mountain Brewery, Blue Mountain Barrel House, Devils Backbone Brewery, South Street Brewery, Star Hill Brewery, Three Notch'd Brewing Company and Wild Wolf Brewing Company) who not only immediately hopped on board when asked to be a part of our Brew Ha Ha event, but responded with "How else can we help?".  While in most situations "Bring beer!" would be our answer, it takes a little more than beer to make this event happen.  So with that in mind, we're hoping we can twist your arms just a bit to ask that you visit their establishments as a way of showing just how thankful we are!

Make a Meal, Make a Difference

When a child is receiving medical treatment for serious illness or injury, taking away the worry of "what's for dinner?" can be a wonderful relief. This is why one our favorite ways to help out at the Ronald McDonald House of Charlottesville (RMHC) is by volunteering for their "Meals from the Heart" program. 

Red Shoe Cville volunteers provide a meal for RMHC residents on the third Monday of each month. If you're interested in helping out check out our Sign Up Page here or contact our Volunteer Coordinator Carl Schwarz, at caschwarz83@gmail.com or 417-540-1791.  

If our regular dinner rotation doesn't work for you there are many other opportunities to give families - many of whom are through the hardest days of their lives - a little piece of mind the rest of the month. The goal at RMHC  is to have at least one prepared meal each day – breakfast, lunch, dinner, even brunch - so there are lots of chances to make someone's day a little better.  Some volunteers even come in just to bake cookies - and trust us, after a long day at the hospital, fresh baked cookies are a welcome sight and smell!

And don't fret if you're new to the process - the RMHC website provides everything you need to know about providing a meal. Plus, Carl is such a great guy that he'll even come to the house on your first evening to give you a brief orientation and make sure you're comfortable with everything.  Bon appetit!

Downtown Chili Showdown

Help Wanted

It takes a lot of effort to keep the the Ronald McDonald House of Charlottesville (RMHC) running 24-7, 365 days a year.  Despite their incredible dedication and long hours, there are not enough hours in the day to get absolutely everything done.  To help alleviate at least a little bit of their stress, two of our Board Members (Super Carl and Mike the Great) have coordinated with the the RMHC staff to create an opportunity for our volunteers donate a little bit of their time to help get some of these things done.  We are affectionately calling these opportunities  "Saturday Work Parties".  

Here's how it works.  On the first Saturday of each month we get together at the House to tackle whatever the Staff needs done. All you have to do is sign up for a Saturday that works for your schedule (see Sign Up Genius link below) and show up at the house to help that day.  Tasks are generally easy (cleaning, yardwork, basic handywork, etc) and can even be FUN. Recent Saturday Work Party projects included mulching the front yard and moving patio furniture and putting together lockers in the House pantry.

Saturday Work Parties start at 9:00am and we're usually done by around 1:00pm. So, if you're itching for another great way to help out the House (and trust us, every bit of help that you can offer really is valuable), sign up for one of these Saturday mornings. The feeling you get from helping is so much greater than the small amount of time you actually commit, and, dare we say, it can actually be a really good time?!?!?  (Not to mention, you get to spend the morning with your extra super fun fellow Red Shoe Members).  

So, what do you say - are you ready to come party with us? Next party will take place on March 7, but don't despair if you can't make than one, there's plenty of room in the months that follow! Just let us know you're coming by signing up at www.SignUpGenius.com/go/8050B49A4A62FA02-1stsaturday 

Meals From the Heart

When a child is receiving medical treatment for serious illness or injury, taking away the worry of "what's for dinner?" can be a wonderful relief. This is why one our favorite ways to help out at the Ronald McDonald House of Charlottesville (RMHC) is by volunteering for their "Meals from the Heart" program. 


Red Shoe Cville volunteers provide a meal for RMHC residents on the third Monday of each month. If you're interested in helping out check out our Sign Up Page here or contact our Volunteer Coordinator Carl Schwarz, at caschwarz83@gmail.com or 417-540-1791.  

If our regular dinner rotation doesn't work for you there are many other opportunities to give families - many of whom are through the hardest days of their lives - a little piece of mind the rest of the month. The goal at RMHC  is to have at least one prepared meal each day – breakfast, lunch, dinner, even brunch - so there are lots of chances to make someone's day a little better.  Some volunteers even come in just to bake cookies - and trust us, after a long day at the hospital, fresh baked cookies are a welcome sight and smell!

And don't fret if you're new to the process - the RMHC website provides everything you need to know about providing a meal. Plus, Carl is such a great guy that he'll even come to the house on your first evening to give you a brief orientation and make sure you're comfortable with everything.  Bon appetit!
 

Brew Ha Ha

Imagine a day filled with tasting incredible chili from amazing local cooks and restaurants accompanied by beer from Charlottesville's best local breweries...Well, that is exactly what we have in store for you on April 18!

In addition to our annual Chili Cook-Off this year, Red Shoe Cville will be hosting Cville's first ever blind beer battle - the Downtown Chili Showdown Brew Ha Ha! We're going to take away the logos from your favorite beers and let YOU decide - purely on taste - who brews your favorite beers!! Added bonus...it's for the kids and families of Ronald McDonald House of Charlottesville!

Categories will include IPA, Wheat, Malty/Brown/Stout, Lager and a Brewer's Choice. Tasting flights can be purchased for $5, entitling purchaser to vote for one beer per flight.  Additionally, each brewery will have a beer of their choice available for purchase at their booth for $5.

Participating breweries include: Three Notch'd Brewing Company , South Street Brewery, Blue Mountain Brewery, Devils Backbone Brewing Company, and Wild Wolf Brewing Company.


Stay tuned for more info....

Grand Re-Opening

Earlier this spring we were fortunate to be invited to celebrate with RMHC staff and residents for a Grand Re-Opening pizza party at the house, courtesy of our friends Papa John's of Cville.  We were all blown away by how beautiful the house renovations turned out and agreed that we couldn't wait for our next opportunity to make dinner for the residents just so we could use that amazing kitchen.  (Check out photos on our Facebook page). 

And speaking of dinner...you may have heard that our local Charlottesville Papa John's has a pretty awesome special going on right now called the "Red Shoe Special".  Order any large 3 topping or specialty pizza and Papa John's donates $1 to us!  Dinner and a donation just by placing an order?  That's our kind of meal and our kind of deal!   Thank you, Vic and entire Papa John's team, for rockin' your red shoes with us!

Red Shoe Rendezvous - Polo Edition

When we first got together as a group one of the goals we had for Red Shoe Cville, in addition to participating in philanthropic endeavors to build awareness and raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House of Charlottesville (RMHC),  was to have a lot of fun.  Well, over two years in to it we are proud to say that we have not only managed to achieve that goal, but we've exceeded it - we're having a blast! To celebrate the success we've had this past year we are planning a summertime "Red Shoe Rendezvous" at one of C'ville's great spots for summer fun - Sunday afternoon polo matches at King Family Vineyards.

We welcome all of our members, volunteers, friends and those interested in learning more about Red Shoe Cville to throw on their red shoes and join us on Sunday, August 17 at King Family for an afternoon of food, wine, some great polo and, of course, a lot of fun!  Look for the Red Shoe Cville banner at the polo field from 12:00pm - 4:00pm and stop by to share glass of wine and celebrate the fun we've had together serving the incredible RMHC residents and staff! 

Dinner Time

 

Looking for a chance to participate in one of the many ways we help the House?  How about signing up for one of the monthly dinners we provide for the residents?  By giving us just a few hours of your day to prepare a meal, you can help create a sense of home and provide some comfort for those going through one of the toughest times of their lives.
 

How does this work?  

Red Shoe provides dinner for the residents of the House on the 3rd Monday of each month.  Typically we volunteer in teams of 2-4, though we encourage individuals to sign up as well, as we can match you with others for the same date (we will NOT let you end up preparing dinner on your own!).  Groups usually spend around $100 total for meal preparation. However, careful planning can make it much less and splitting the meal 4-ways helps alleviate the costs. Additionally, the House supplies drinks for the residents, so you don't need to worry about that. 

Dinner needs to be ready at or just before 6:30.  You do not need to stick around to serve - just clean up after yourself, load the dishwasher and head on out for the evening. The House recently underwent some major renovations and the new kitchen is awesome! If you like to cook this is a really fun way to get together with a few friends and spend an afternoon using an amazing professional kitchen while making a difference in the lives of others. 

With the wonderful renovations also came a few new guidelines we need to follow when preparing dinner for the House.  These guidelines can be found at http://rmhcharlottesville.org/index.php/how-you-can-help/provide-a-meal/ along with helpful hints on how much to prepare and what to expect.  The biggest difference from our meal prep in the past is that food must be prepared at the House or in a commercial kitchen. 

How do I sign up? 

Signing up to prepare a meal is as simple as clicking on the following link http://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050B49A4A62FA02-dinners  And don't fret if you're new to the process. Our Volunteer Coordinator, Carl Schwarz, can come to the house on your first evening to give you a brief orientation and make sure you're comfortable with everything. And, if you have any questions you can contact caschwarz83@gmail.com or 417-540-1791.   

Your help is so greatly appreciated and brings comfort to those who really need it. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

 

Let's Party!

As you may know, it takes a lot of effort to keep the the Ronald McDonald House of Charlottesville (RMHC) running 24-7, 365 days a year.  Despite their incredible dedication and long hours, the staff never seem to have enough time to get absolutely everything done.  To help alleviate at least a little bit of their stress, two of our Board Members (Super Carl and Mike the Great) have coordinated with the the RMHC staff to create an opportunity for our volunteers donate a little bit of their time to help get some of these things done.  We are affectionately calling these opportunities  "Saturday Work Parties".  

Here's how it works.  The House staff will be creating a running "To-Do" list for us, which we will make available to our volunteers.  On the first Saturday of the month we will get together to tackle whatever needs to be done. All you have to do is sign up for a Saturday that works for your schedule (see Sign Up Genius link below) and show up at the house to help that day.  Tasks are generally easy and should take no more than an afternoon. Recent Saturday Work Party projects included mulching the front yard and moving patio furniture and putting together lockers in the House pantry.

Saturday Work Parties start at 1:00pm so you can get your own Saturday work out of the way (or sleep off all the fun you had Friday night!).  So, if you're itching for another great way to help out the House (and trust us, every bit of help that you can offer really is valuable), sign up for one of these Saturday afternoons. The feeling you get from helping is so much greater than the small amount of time you actually commit, and, dare we say, it can actually be a really good time.  (Not to mention, you get to spend the afternoon with your extra super fun fellow Red Shoe members).  

So, what do you say - are you ready to come party with us? Next party will take place on August 2, but don't despair if you can't make than one, there's plenty of room in the months that follow! Just let us know you're coming by signing up at www.SignUpGenius.com/go/8050B49A4A62FA02-1stsaturday  

Celebrate the 4th with Red Shoe & Papa John's

 

As many of you know, Vic and his team at Papa John's of Charlottesville have generously offered to team up with us to help us support our mission of raising money for the Ronald McDonald House of Cville.  In addition to their "Red Shoe Pizza Special" (in which $1 of each purchase of a large 3-topping or specialty pizza is donated to Red Shoe!) and monthly meals for the house, they’ve offered to donate a portion of their proceeds from the Charlottesville 4th of July celebration at McIntire Park to us – Awesome right!?  We just need volunteers to assist Vic and Papa John's at the event.  

We'll be there from 4:00pm-10:00pm and will take your help for as little or as long as you can provide it. This is a great chance to be a part of one of C'ville's great traditions, help us earn cash for the House and an excellent opportunity to get an up-close view of the fireworks!  If you can make it, please respond to our doodle poll here http://doodle.com/i9cf7wp5b676z3ge  

Questions? Email us redshoecville@gmail.com