Beebe Goes Purple raises $86K for opioid awareness campaign

The 4th Annual Beebe Goes Purple guest bartending event, held Sept. 19 at the Starboard in Dewey Beach, raised $86,209 for the healthcare system’s Go Purple Fund, which supports awareness, education, prevention and recovery in relation to the opioid epidemic in Sussex County. The fundraiser was founded by the Beebe Medical Foundation’s Young Professionals Group.

Led by foundation team members Justen Albright, financial analyst; Sean Flanigan, gift officer; and Amy Keller, event coordinator; the group set out to make a difference in the lives of those affected by the opioid epidemic starting in 2019. Since then, the Beebe Goes Purple event has raised more than $338,000 for Beebe Healthcare’s Go Purple Fund.

“Beebe Goes Purple began with a group of young professionals eager to make a difference in the opioid crisis in Sussex County, but it has evolved into something far bigger. This movement has united people from all backgrounds, all working together to create positive change in our community,” said Keller. “Addiction has touched many of our supporters’ lives, and Beebe Goes Purple provides a way for them to contribute to the solution.”

Donations to the Go Purple Fund have been designated to support Beebe Healthcare's Mobile Health Clinic, which focuses on mental health and addiction medicine. It also provides low-threshold, low-barrier clinical care and harm reduction services aimed at increasing access to more resources for people at high risk.

This year’s event featured local community celebrities including: Jena Albright, Justen Albright, April Armstrong, Pam Baker, Allen Carroll, Dr. Bill Chasanov, Nick “Beef” Degnars, Adam DiSabatino, Justin Fisher, Chrissy Freitas, Dr. Katie Johnson, Taylor Knox, Paul Magliato, Mike Maksymow, Dan Matta, Vanessa Megee, Mike Meoli, Barbara Ann Racine-Kerezsi, Ann Raskauskas, Chris Schell, Dr. Paul Sierzenski, Patrick Staggs, Steve Touw and Veronica Townsend.

Teams paired up for 15-minute shifts to raise funds and serve drinks to friends, family and Beebe supporters. Justin Fisher and Taylor Knox of Decade80 took home the prize for raising the most funds of the night with $8,001, and Paul Magliato and Adam DiSabatino took home the overall prize, raising $13,015 for Beebe Goes Purple.

“The support for this year’s Beebe Goes Purple was incredible. We have The Starboard, all of our sponsors, our amazing bartenders, and all of our guests to thank for this year’s great turnout and fundraising,” said Flanigan. “We continue to grow both the event and our impact on the community year after year.”

The 5th Annual Beebe Goes Purple celebrity guest bartending event will take place Thursday, Sept. 18, at The Starboard.

“By leveraging the power of social media and email, our bartenders connected with their friends, family and colleagues to rally support for their fundraising goals. This approach not only expanded our reach but also brought the community closer together in support of a shared cause,” said Albright. “This event has consistently exceeded all expectations over the years, and we are deeply grateful to everyone for embracing our mission to reduce the impact of opioids in Sussex County.”