Serving The City
Bartenders and Baristas Raise Funds for Sex Education
Local bartenders and servers stripped down to their bathing suits Aug. 7 to spike balls instead of drinks, as over a dozen establishments took part in the sixth annual SERVE Volleyball Tournament.
The tournament was hosted by Head & Hands, a local youth-oriented medical, legal and counseling organization.
A record-breaking $26,000 was raised this year, but the organizations are still trying to reach a goal of $30,000. All funds will support the Sense Project—a program that facilitates a holistic sexual education for youth at various schools across the city.
“The Sense Project is a program available to youth in Montreal that is offered by volunteers [at Head & Hands] who are trained by our staff members,” says Krista Wojciechowski, the Serve coordinator.
“[It’s] about making sense of your sexuality. It’s not just about how to have generic sex—it talks about defining your sexuality [and] different types of sex, [among other things].”
Wojciechowski explained that the demand for the Sense Project came after economic reform in 2005 removed sex-ed from the provincial high school curriculum.
A total of 20 teams from various bars and restaurants–and one Head & Hands team–raised money and competed for prizes donated by local businesses.
Dundee’s Bar and Grill won the tournament, which stretched on through the hot and muggy day. The team from Grumpy’s Bar, though, walked away with both the top fundraising prize for raising $4,000 and the Laura Nagy Spirit Award.
