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Beer and Bow Ties aims for biggest fundraiser yet

The event benefits the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and has raised north of $60,000 for suicide prevention.
Beer and Bow Ties raises money for suicide prevention.

If a tropical storm can’t slow down Beer And Bow Ties, not much can.

“It’s growing. That’s for sure,” said Brent Kraus, a co-organizer of the fundraising event.

In the first three years of Kraus and Kim Randall’s event, the community fundraiser has dealt with the loss of air conditioning in the venue and a pair of tropical depressions. This year, Kraus hopes for a smooth fundraiser.

“Yeah, we’ve been through some hiccups.”

They also have seen incredible success. Beer and Bow Ties benefits the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and has raised north of $60,000 for suicide prevention.

It’s a topic especially dear to both Kraus and Randall. Both lost loved ones to suicide.

“We don’t need to have this negative stigma around mental health and the event specifically is to have a conversation and get people to talk,” said Brent, who lost his younger brother, Matthew, to suicide in 2010. “I feel like we all have something to offer and we need to make the most of the time we have here.”

Brent Kraus is the co-founder of Beer and Bow Ties, which raises money for suicide prevention.

The event is sponsored by the Spencer Hall Memorial Endowment for Mental Health. It will be held Sept. 14 at The Orlo in Tampa and aims to get the conversation started about mental health. The organizers ask everyone to wear a bow tie. It was Matthew’s favorite accessory. Local vendors provide the food and drinks for the party. All of the proceeds are donated to the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. Tickets are available online. The event starts at 6 p.m.

The Beer and Bow Ties website says “there is on average 1 death every 12.5 minutes due to suicide and we hope by bringing awareness and raising money for resources we can help bring those numbers down. The sad reality is suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US and we want to do something to change it for the better”.

The official color of the event is yellow. Bow ties in that shade will be available for purchase at the event for $40. Those proceeds go to the Crisis Center.

“I feel like we all have something to offer and we need to make the most of the time we have here,” said Kraus.

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