You’d think by now, I’d know better than to assume anything. Yet, here I am, writing this blog post because I went ahead and did just that. I assumed that giving away door prizes at our upcoming Trivia Night would be simple. A nice little bonus, an easy and fun way to say thank you to everyone attending.
Well, turns out, it’s not easy. It’s not even possible.
And for that, I owe you all a massive, grovelling apology.
Here’s the problem: when I naively envisioned handing out door prizes, I pictured a magical system where people would just…get stuff. No strings attached, no logistical nightmares.
After much forehead-smacking and some deep, regretful sighs, I’ve had to make a change. Almost all of the incredible donated items will now be available through the silent auction rather than given away as door prizes. This ensures fairness, helps us raise more funds for the BrainSTRONG Network (which is, after all, the point of this event), and keeps things from spiraling into total disarray.
But! (And this is an important but.)
We will still have one door prize:
🎉 A Nespresso Vertuo
Everything else? It’s going in the silent auction.
Now, before you shake your head at me in disappointment, there is a bright side to all of this! The extra funds we’ll raise from the silent auction will help accelerate the launch of the Iam.BrainSTRONG program—a huge step in our mission to promote helmet safety and brain injury awareness. Even better, I’ll be working alongside Zenon Konopka, a Canadian former professional hockey player, to bring Iam.BrainSTRONG to life and ensure its success. His firsthand experience with concussions and brain injuries makes him the perfect partner to help drive this initiative forward—not just at launch, but in its ongoing operation as well.
So while I completely botched my door prize assumptions, this pivot actually means we can get this important initiative up and running sooner than expected, with the right team in place to make a real impact.
I know this might be disappointing for some, and I truly hate having to change things after the fact. But I promise you, this decision is for the best. The silent auction gives everyone a fair shot at winning something they really want, and more importantly, it allows us to maximize the funds we raise to support brain injury awareness and initiatives.
So, I hope you’ll forgive me for my (admittedly, very on-brand) assumption that things would be easier than they are. I’m learning as I go, and sometimes that means making course corrections mid-flight. Thank you for your patience, your understanding, and your continued support.
And if you were really hoping for a specific door prize, I have good news: you can still win it—you’ll just have to bid!
See you at Trivia Night!
Don’t be too hard on yourself, Rob! These things always end up being more complicated than one might think. We are ALL always learning. And it’s great that more money will be raised for the Iam.BrainSTRONG program.
… Karen
When I heard that I
in realization what I’d done (ASSUMED), because I thought that I don’t. But, you’re right, lesson learned, and the positive aspect that it’ll make the implementation of Iam.BrainSTRONG far-earlier-than-planned is actually a positive. It’s a not-the-greatest way to have it be a reality, but it’s done.