Submitted by Olympic Plumbing Technology
Olympic Plumbing Technology, a plumbing company in Olympia that services all of Thurston, Mason and Pierce counties, will soon be firing up the grill and offering free barbecue, prizes and family fun in an event benefiting the Olympia Firefighters Foundation.
Ollie’s BIG Backpack BBQ Fundraiser takes place at Woodland Creek Community Park on August 11 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event, full of free family fun and great prizes, is a supply drive to replenish the stock of the Olympia Firefighters Foundation for their annual coat drive and year-round school pantries.
Not only do the charity’s firefighters put out actual fires in our community, but they work to put out figurative ones, too. Derek Johnson, the foundation’s president, said in a Mission Nonprofit video that last year the Olympia Firefighters Foundation supported four schools across Olympia and Tumwater.
“We were able to give 850 coats to any student with a need, including their families, throughout those entire schools,” Johnson said. The foundation sent out forms across the schools in advance of the coat giveaway, “and it was evidenced by the forms that came back to us that the need is so much greater than just those students within those schools,” he said.
Besides warm coats, the Olympia Firefighters Foundation stocks pantries in four schools where students can access food and hygiene supplies — in private — with no questions asked. They also provide relief for victims of fires and other catastrophic emergencies, as well assisting those in crisis or those navigating the challenges of unforeseen circumstances.
Supply Drive and Free Community Barbecue
Donations are vital in keeping those much-needed supplies flowing out to the community, and Olympic Plumbing Technology wants to help.
They are inviting the community to bring donations of new coats, backpacks, hygiene supplies, school supplies or non-perishable food items and join them at Woodland Creek Community Park on August 11. They’ll be “grillin’ and chillin’” with free burgers, hot dogs, and a few sides from 3 to 5 p.m. and are asking the community to join them in sharing a meal for a good cause.
“It’s important to us as a local, family-owned company to give back to the community where we live, work, and play,” says Kimberly Boeckmann, Olympic Plumbing Technology CEO. “I come from a family of firefighters, and one of our plumbing technicians is a firefighter,” she says, “so I know first-hand how hard-working and incredibly devoted these individuals are to our community. And when you add in the charitable aspect of the Olympia Firefighters Foundation, we knew we had to help out. We want to help kids and their families — and have fun doing it,” Boeckmann says.
Local Businesses Contribute
The fun continues, and at 4 p.m., there will be a raffle full of fantastic prizes donated by local businesses. And the raffle tickets? They’re free. All you have to do is bring items to donate, and for each item given, you’ll receive a ticket to win BIG.
“Gotti’s Sweets is donating 100 cupcakes to the event,” Boeckmann says, “because it’s not a party without cake, right? But if you’re looking for icing, Cinn-A-Girls will have plenty of that. They’re donating a platter for the event and a gift card for the raffle, too.”
Ralph’s Thriftway donated a $75 gift card, and Ballura Wellness Spa donated a one-hour massage, a $120 value. Exile Tattoo and Tiki Tattoo both donated gift certificates, along with Abe’s Honeycuspe and Dos Hermanos Mexican Kitchen. The Bread Peddler also joined in, and two hair salons: RE Berry Hair Design and The Dream Hair Salon contributed, too.
Cornhole Tournament
For the grand prize, though, your team will have to win the cornhole tournament and let’s just say the prize is fired up and smokin’ hot. The winning team takes home both a Char-Griller that grills and smokes, donated by local business H2O Away, a water damage and mitigation company; and a Pit Boss 850 Pro with a cover and a 40-pound bag of pellets donated by Capital Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric.
“I was totally blown away by the generosity of the grand prize sponsors!” Boeckmann says. “It makes us want to work even harder knowing we are among such caring and generous colleagues in the small business community.”
Registration for the tournament is free but donation-based, and teams must pre-register to compete. So far, there haven’t been a lot of sign-ups, Boeckmann reports, “So your odds at this point are pretty darn good!” she says.
Ollie’s BIG Event
If you’re still wondering who Ollie is and why it’s his barbecue, he’s Olympic Plumbing Technology’s BIG mascot.
“We chose Bigfoot to represent us here at OPT,” Boeckmann says, “because we’re taking BIG strides in plumbing using some of the latest technology available — but we also take BIG strides in our community. Bigfoot is beloved here in the Pacific Northwest, and it’s our hope we can someday achieve a similar sentiment within the community.”
Ollie’s BIG Backpack BBQ and Fundraiser
August 11, from 3 p.m. -7 p.m.
Woodland Creek Community Park
6729 Pacific Ave SE, Lacey, 98503
Event Schedule:
Community BBQ from 3p.m. to 5 p.m.
Raffle at 4 p.m.
Cornhole Tournament at 5 p.m.
RSVP for the BBQ here (to help curb food waste and get a FREE t-shirt)
Register your team for the cornhole tournament here
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