Celebrate Salsa de Mayo
The inaugural salsa tasting fundraiser benefitting ADOPT(ED) will be held Monday, May 5 from 5:30 to 8:30 at the Mabee Center.
By: Sheryl Sowell | Category: In Our Communities | Issue: May 2014
Jason Grewe, Salsa de Mayo event organizer, invites everyone to attend and vote for the area’s most delicious salsa.
If there is one appetizer most people can agree on, it’s chips and salsa! Salsa connoisseurs will want to mark their calendars for Salsa de Mayo on Monday, May 5 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Mabee Center. This family-friendly fundraising event will consist of chips and salsa taste testing from 18+ local-area restaurants, inflatable games and face painting for children, salsa dance lessons courtesy of Ballroom Blitz, and a burrito eating contest. Proceeds will benefit theChurch.at and their ADOPT(ED) ministry, which exists to be a conduit of information, support, and resources to Tulsa metro families involved in foster care and adoption. ADOPT(ED) supports various organizations including the 111 Project, the Laura Dester Shelter and others. ADOPT(ED) also gives financial support to three different international orphan organizations and partners with LifeSong for Orphans in providing grants and loans for adoptive families.
You’ll find lots of yummy flavors, from mild to super spicy at Salsa de Mayo. Be sure to vote for your favorite – the winning restaurant will receive a trophy at the end of the evening. The burrito-eating contest will feature Pastor Alex Himaya of theChurch.at,and main sponsors Danny Beck of Danny Beck Chevrolet and Darren Gooch of Zoellner Exterminating. “We have 10 contest spots available for the burrito eating contest. Some of them are reserved for VIPs, and we are going to have a drawing for the remaining spots,” explains event organizer Jason Grewe.
United State Senate candidates T.W. Shannon and Randy Brogdon will be on hand for the event. Each candidate will make short presentations. Representatives from various foster care and adoption agencies will be speaking and have informational booths as well.
Admission is $5 per person with children under 4 years of age receiving free admission. All proceeds will go to the ADOPT(ED) program. About ten years ago, Pastor Alex of theChurch.at preached a series of sermons called FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), submitted by church attendees. One question was, “Why haven’t I heard a sermon on adoption or the scriptural principle of God being the God to the fatherless?” That question, driven by a couple of families who were engaged in the issue of adoption, sparked a journey that resulted in the church getting in the game of caring for the parentless and launching ADOPT(ED).
partnership with Lifesong for Orphans, they receive and process grants and loans for adoptive families in the area. As a result of the initiative, approximately 70 children have been adopted. ADOPT(ED) also helps provide financial support for foster families at the time of placement, holds seminars, offers a variety of resources, and organizes support groups for those who have adopted or are interested in getting information about adoption or foster care.
“In the past few years, we have gotten heavily involved in caring for children who end up in our state foster care system. We have dozens of families who are fostering children, volunteering at Laura Dester Shelter, and serving as respite care families for those who are fostering,” says Jason. “We also engage in international orphan care in several countries where international adoption is not an option. Of course, our ability to raise funds is key in accomplishing all of this – thus Salsa de Mayo!”
Jason came up with the idea for a salsa tasting fundraiser after attending the Wingapalooza festival earlier this year with his wife and son. “After the event, I said to them, ‘That was fun! What other food could someone do with this concept?’ We came up with chips and salsa – who doesn’t want to know what place has the best chips and salsa?”
The next few days, Jason made a few phone calls and printed flyers. “God gave us favor with the Mabee Center and the first three restaurants, and before I knew it, what was once a little snowball was soon rolling downhill gaining momentum quickly. I feel God is using the event to help care for those who have no one to care for them.”
Tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased at the Mabee Center box office at 7777 S. Lewis in Tulsa, online at www.mabeecenter.com or at any theChurch.at location.
For more information, contact
Salsa de Mayo
(918) 859-8886
eat0@eau0eav0eaw0
www.salsademayo.com
About Author Sheryl Sowell
Sheryl Sowell was born and raised in Tulsa, OK. She graduated from Will Rogers High School and received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Northeastern State University in 2007. She has worked for Value News as editor, writer and advertising copywriter since 2008. She enjoys meeting and interviewing people for Value News articles, learning about their backgrounds, and helping to promote their businesses and local events. In her free time, she enjoys reading, trying new recipes and crafts from Pinterest, attending concerts and sporting events, and spending time with family and friends. Sheryl lives in Tulsa with her fiancé Paul, their daughter Scarlett, and their two dogs, Gunner and Boo.
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