Breaking Records at Pledge 5!

Pledge 5 Foundation has broken a new Gainesville record through ticket sales on Groupon.com for Gator Stompin’!  We’ve sold 1,004 tickets in four days, an amazing accomplishment for Pledge 5!

Gator Stompin’ has been a tradition for Gainesville residents and UF students for over 25 years now, and Pledge 5 is proud to be a part of the Gator Nation’s biggest annual celebration!

We’ve had such great success with our Groupon sales, and our Gator Stompin’ event is still a few months away.  We’re hoping to maybe even break another record by having the largest bar and restaurant crawl in the world!  The current record, according to the Guinness World Records website, is held by a pub crawl made up of 4,718 people in Queensland, Australia.

For those that don’t know, Gator Stompin’ was founded in 1983, and it takes place throughout midtown and downtown Gainesville, along University Avenue.

Over 50 clubs, restaurants, and bars are participating in Gator Stompin’ this year.  All of these places offer free entrance to participants wearing an event T-shirt.  Each participant is given 10 tokens to use for food and drinks throughout the night.

For more information on our most famous event, visit our Gator Stompin’ Facebook page!  Pay attention to our Facebook and Twitter for constant updates and upcoming contests!

Mark Your Calendars!

We’ve been so busy here at the Pledge 5 office!  We’re working on several different events, including “The Pledge 5 Apprentice,” Kanapaha 5K-9, and Gator Stompin’!

 Pledge 5 Foundation will have an open call for “The Pledge 5 Apprentice” on Thursday, Feb. 17, at 7:20 p.m. at the University of Florida’s Rinker Hall, Room 101.  “The Pledge 5 Apprentice” will follow the format of NBC’s “The Apprentice.” Each week, participants will be given a project to complete correlating with Pledge 5 Foundation’s charity drives and events.  Contestants will face weekly elimination based on their performance.  The last person standing will become the next executive director of Pledge 5 and will win a $40,000 compensation package that includes $30,500 cash, housing and restaurant allowance, among other things. All majors are invited and encouraged to attend.

We’re teaming up with the Gainesville Pet Rescue for the Kanapaha 5K-9.  This event is a 5K race and one mile run/walk that you can do with your best friend!  Running with a dog in the 5K is only recommended for those who have trained extensively with their dog; however, everyone is encouraged to take their companion on the one- mile route. All routes are non-paved, so they’re pet-friendly!

One of our most popular events is Gator Stompin’, which has been a rite of passage in Gainesville since 1983!  At the end of every spring, students and locals get together to celebrate being part of the Gator Nation.  The Official Gator Stompin’ T-shirt grants access to over 50 of Gainesville’s best bars, nightclubs and restaurants, where you are treated to amazing drinks, delicious food and live music!  Don’t miss what the Independent Florida Alligator ranked as one of the top 10 things to do before leaving Gainesville. GO GATORS!

Anyway, we’re currently offering a 51 percent discount on Gator Stompin’ tickets through Groupon.com, so head over there for this exclusive deal, which ends on Saturday at midnight!  Tickets are usually $35, but through Groupon you can get your ticket for only $17!

These are definitely opportunities you don’t want to miss out on!  Visit our Twitter and Facebook pages for more details on upcoming charity drives and events!

Luck Helps When You're "Taking It Off"

As you clean out your closet to gather some clothing donations for the "Taking It Off For Charity" Poker Tournament, it couldn't hurt to dig out those lucky socks or that lucky pair of underwear to wear tonight.

At its core, poker is a game of logic and skill. Players make rational, well-informed decisions based on the rules of probability. But even the most talented poker players recognize that there's more to the game than just numbers.

Phil Hellmuth Jr., an 11 time World Series of Poker winner made even more famous by his attitude at the table, said, "I guess if there weren't luck involved, I'd win every time."

Maybe he was just bitter about a losing streak, or maybe he was on to something...

We're trying to give you all the help that we can, so before you get ready to take it off, consider these poker superstitions that might make or break your game:

Don't start the game off on the wrong foot by picking up your cards before the dealer is finished dealing to all of the active players. It makes sense - if the other players don't yet have cards to look at, they'll be looking at you and judging your reaction.

Unfortunately for you lefties out there, doing things with the left hand always seems to be wrong for some reason or another. In poker, some people believe it's bad luck to pick up your cards with your left hand. It may seem silly, but do you really want to risk it?

It's considered a bad sign if you accidentally drop a card while playing. Other than people possibly getting a glimpse of your goods, it shows a lack of concentration and losing concentration in poker doesn't usually lead to a win.

For good luck, touch your favorite card before playing starts.  Bring your lucky charms, too, because you'll be playing against the contest winners Kimberly Wootton, Nicole Vassilatos, Chastity Marylee, Monica Lopez and Natalia Rodriguez, who won free VIP passes (so we already know that they're pretty lucky)!

You'll be helping the wonderful people at St. Francis House, so you really shouldn't fret too much if Lady Luck isn't on your side. After all, "unlucky in poker, lucky in love," right? And Valentine's Day is just around the corner...

State of the Pledge 5 Union

Hey Pledge 5-ers!

Hope everyone is ready for our Annual Taking It off for Charity Poker Tournament on Friday! We have a feeling everyone is going to walk away hitting the karma jackpot! And as you all know, the Gainesville community and our sponsors have been very generous with the prizes and goodies we'll be giving out at the event. Don't forget that you can still get tickets from any of the Pledge 5 interns or the Pledge 5 office.

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."  ~Anne Frank


 
Let's start now! There's other needs right here in our very own backyard that we need to address.
 February is coming up soon. You know what that means: they are always there for us, without questioning our actions or quirks. They love us unconditionally. And how about that never-failing greeting at the door when we come home from work? For one day next month, we all get to show our love ones just how much we adore and care about them.And we're not talking about your valentines!

We know you love your pets. But there's many animals that need some of that affection that they've never had. Pledge 5 Foundation is teaming up with Gainesville Pet Rescue for a 5K-9 and Adoptathon on February 26th at Kanapaha Park. Bring home a furry friend and raise money for Gainesville Pet Rescue; every donation goes towards maintaining a healthy and happy life for animals that don't have homes.

So get fit and get ready party in February with Pledge 5 Foundation!

Other service events/ charity work to get involved with this weekend around town:

- UF students are collaborating to raise funds and bring in donations for flood victims in Brazil. Enjoy good food and fun at this event on Sunday. Details are on BRASA's facebook page.

 - LifeSouth still needs your help to save lives. How about donating some blood this weekend? It only takes about an hour and it does a lot of good. Here's Pledge 5 intern and Graphics guru, David Armas, pledgin' in the bloodmobile before donating:

 

Find other volunteer opportunities through http://www.sweatmonkey.org/

Pledge with us to create a better community, one cause at a time!

Texas Hold'em 101

We hope you're excited for the second annual “Taking It Off for Charity” Poker Tournament on Friday!  To give you the best chance of staying [at least] partially-clothed, read the rules of Texas Hold'em below!

• First of all, you need at least two players, a 52-card deck and poker chips or cash if you’re gambling.
• You start by designating a dealer who will shuffle the cards and deal two cards (clockwise) to each player.
• The person to the left of the dealer goes first.  Once each person has their cards they can either bet or fold. (Once a player folds they are done with the game.)
• The dealer then places one card face side down and three cards face side up in the center of the table; this is called the flop.  After this is done, the remaining players can decide to bet or fold.
• The dealer continues by placing another card face side down and another face side up; this is called the turn.  Another round of betting or folding.
• The dealer places another card face side down and another face side up; this is called the river.  This is the last round of betting or folding. The person who calls the last bet (the highest amount) shows their hand first, and then the remaining players show their hands (still continuing clockwise).
• The winning hand is the highest five cards, using at least one from your own hand and the rest from the community cards (also called the pot).

Hopefully that wasn’t too confusing!  Now, if you don’t know much about playing poker, then you may not know the different five-card poker hands.

Ranked from best to worst:

• Royal Straight Flush: 10, J, Q, K, A (all of the same suit)
• Straight Flush: five cards of the same suit, in order (example: 9, 10, J, Q, K of hearts)
• Four of a Kind: four of the same card (example: 3, 3, 3, 3)
• Full House: three of a kind and a pair (example: Q, Q, Q, 9, 9)
• Flush: five cards of the same suit, but not necessarily in order (example: all hearts)
• Straight: a sequence of five cards, but not all the same suit (example: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
• Three of a Kind: three cards of the same number or rank (example: 5, 5, 5 or A, A, A)
• Two Pair: two pairs of cards of the same number or rank (example: 7, 7, 2, 2)

It may sound a bit confusing, but once you get started, you’ll get the hang of the game in no time!

Here are a couple of photos from last year's "Taking It Off For Charity" Poker Tournament (and yes, the Hooters girls will be playing this year as well!):

Some of our old interns at last year's Poker Tournament

The lovely Hooters girls at "Taking It Off for Charity" Poker Tournament 2010

Paul & Breanne practicing their poker faces in the Pledge 5 office

Other than that, we’d like to remind you that we’ll have more contests between now and this Friday for chances to win free VIP tickets to the tournament so keep checking our Facebook profile and Twitter!