Buckeye Vodka fundraising effort generates $19,000 for Oregon District fund

Credit: Submitted

Credit: Submitted

The Dayton-based Buckeye Vodka distillery and an anonymous donor teamed up with Miami Valley residents to raise $19,000 for The Dayton Foundation’s Dayton Oregon District Tragedy Fund, according to Buckeye Vodka’s founders.

Another $5,450 was raised and donated to The Dayton Foundation to benefit those impacted by the Dayton area’s Memorial Day tornadoes.

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The distillery  and the anonymous donor agreed to match all donations made through Buckeye Vodka’s

website. More than $9,000 was donated by the public, and Buckeye Vodka and the donor matched and rounded up to make the total donation $19,000.

Buckeye Vodka set up a specific fund through The Dayton Foundation, as well as a Venmo account, to streamline donations. Links to those fundraising efforts were posted on the distillery’s home page and shared on social media between mid-August and Oct. 30. Buckeye Vodka also created signage with donation information and placed those signs with the company’s vodka displays at local liquor stores.

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In addition to donations from the public, Buckeye Vodka helped generate donations of over $1,000 through partnerships such as Dayton’s GemFest, the Dayton AleFest, a Dayton Tornado Relief Benefit at Blind Bob’s bar and restaurant in the Oregon District, and “ Threes Above High,” a bar and live-music venue in Columbus.

“We were able to donate $2,000 to Dayton survivors from a campaign we did selling t-shirts,” Threes Above High owner Scott Ellsworth said in a release. “We are not raising millions of dollars, but we know that our dollars are making an impact locally. It’s our responsibility to help. It’s the least we can do.”

Buckeye Vodka CEO Jim Finke said in a release, “It is our duty to do what we can to assist in this time of great adversity, and we enlisted the entire state of Ohio to step up and support our hometown.”

***ORIGINAL STORY (Aug. 14, 2019)***

There are many ways for Daytonians to donate to The Dayton Foundation’s Dayton Oregon District Tragedy Fund. But one Dayton business located close to the scene of the tragedy is offering a way for donors to multiply their dollars.

Buckeye Vodka announced that it will match donations it receives from the community, up to $5,000, for the Tragedy Fund.

On top of Buckeye Vodka’s match, another anonymous donor has pledged to “match the match” with up to an additional $10,000, Jim Finke, CEO of Crystal Spirits (Buckeye vodka) said this morning.

The anonymous donor’s pledge has increased from up to $5,000 to up to $10,000.

Together, these donations could total $20,000 for the tragedy fund, he said.

Buckeye Vodka urges the community to donate through them to multiply their donation dollars.

"It is our duty to do what we can to assist in this time of great adversity and we are enlisting the entire State of Ohio to step-up and support our hometown," Buckeye Vodka posted on its website.

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HOW TO DONATE:

You can make your donation through Buckeye Vodka by visiting buckeyevodka.com. It's important to note that contributors will need to donate to the Tragedy Fund through Buckeye Vodka's website link for the donation to count toward the match.

You will be presented two options to donate:

• Click on Donate to the Dayton Foundation to submit your donation online through the Dayton Foundation's donation hub.

• Click on Donate Using Venmo to use your Venmo account to join Buckeye Vodka's campaign.

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