JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – November 1, 2016 – Beaches Oktoberfest, Inc. announces its award of $20,000.00 to Communities In Schools of Jacksonville (CIS), $10,000.00 to Jacksonville’s Rugby teams and $3,740.00 to FUR Sisters – Furever Urs Rescue, Inc. The 2016 Beaches Oktoberfest event brought in record crowds, including Oktoberfest fans from all over the country. The Festival was recognized on both local and national news. Attendees enjoyed amazing bands (both local/national acts), authentic German beer, a Ferris wheel, a kid zone, food trucks, and more. All local hotels were sold out, several downtown businesses reported increased sales and food trucks had record sales numbers.
Beaches Oktoberfest appreciates the opportunity to support and partner with Communities In Schools of Jacksonville, a premiere provider of dropout prevention services. "We are so thankful for the support of the festival organizers and the community members who came out to the event throughout the weekend. Raising $20,000 will make a huge impact on the work we do with local students, potentially allowing us to reach more students in need of our services," said Steve Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer for the organization.
“Our third year hosting Beaches Oktoberfest was a huge success and we hope this trend continues. This is a great opportunity for our community, and raising over $33,000 for local charities is what makes all the time and effort into an event like this worth it. A heartfelt thank you to CIS and other organizations, who worked hard to help pull off this successful event,” said Keith Doherty, Jacksonville Beach City Council Member and co-founder of Beaches Oktoberfest, Inc.
“To raise over $33,000 in three short days is a testament to the support we have from the community. Over 7,000 people rode the Ferris wheel and thousands of kids played in the kid zone throughout the weekend. We also had hundreds participate in Saturday’s beach cleanup. A special thank you to all our charities involved, we couldn’t have done it without all the volunteer hours they provided!” Said Phil Vogelsang, Jacksonville Beach City Council Member and co-founder of Beaches Oktoberfest, Inc.
About Beaches Oktoberfest, Inc.
Beaches Oktoberfest, Inc., was created with the purpose of creating a fun and authentic festival revolving around the world renowned themed Oktoberfest in Germany, providing Northeast Florida residents an opportunity to enjoy Jacksonville’s great beaches, promote tourism and raise money for charities, including CIS. Visit www.beachesoktoberfest.org, Facebook.com/BeachesOktoberfest for more information on the 2016 event.
