Several Bayside bars and restaurants are inviting patrons to drink for a good cause.
Next month, Relay For Life and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer will be hosting a bar crawl along Bell Boulevard to support the American Cancer Society in Queens. Participants will receive a custom made T-shirt, discounted drinks and a souvenir beer stein.
Participating restaurants and bars include Uno Pizzeria and Grill, One Station Plaza Bar, The Local Pour House, Brian Dempsey’s, Monahan and Fitzgerald’s and Bourbon Street. According to Meagan Hallworth, the organization’s community development manager, they chose Bell Boulevard due to its “iconic” status in the borough.
“When you say ‘Bell Boulevard,’ everyone in Queens knows where that is,” said Hallworth, who added that ACS tries to choose places based on their “specific uniqueness.”
The American Cancer Society of Queens and Relay for Life of Bayside held the first bar crawl in 2017 as a way to spread cancer awareness to people who may not be able to make it to traditional events like cancer walks.
“People loved the event because it creates a community atmosphere. It’s a carefree way to educate people about our programs and events and reach a different audience,” said Hallworth.
All participants get a custom made T-shirt, which Hallworth said is still in the works. She shared that the final design will reflect the promotional poster and feature the colors white and purple.
“Purple represents all cancers and for the American Cancer Society, it symbolizes the fight against all cancers. Cancer does not discriminate and neither do we,” Hallworth said.
The money raised from the event will go toward funding American Cancer Society of Queens programs for patients and their families. Programs include Hope Lodge, which provides cancer patients and their caregivers a free place to stay during treatment and free transportation to and from treatment. Other amenities include a 24/7 hotline where patients can call and receive vital information about treatment, appointments and insurance.
Hallworth added that as the largest private, nonprofit funder of cancer research, American Cancer Society plans to double its annual funding for research by 2021.
The Bell Boulevard Bar Crawl is on Friday, April 26, starting at 6 p.m. at Uno Pizzeria and Grill (39-02 Bell Blvd.) Pre-registration is $25 online or $30 at the door. Click here to register for the event.
For more information, contact Meagan Hallworth at meagan.hallworth@cancer.org.
