On Saturday, May 20th 2023, Belong in Bryan hosted a Meet & Mingle event at The Station on 29th! We had over 100 people in attendance! We happily gave away 25 NEW resident goodie bags and 10 raffle drawings for all residents! We had an absolute blast meeting and connecting with new and existing community members and friends! It was wonderful to see and reconnect with so many residents who had attended past events.
We can’t say it enough, “WE LOVE THIS COMMUNITY!” What an amazing feeling it was to pause during the event, look around and see so many happy people, kids and dogs, having so much fun!
The Station on 29th was the perfect location for our event. They were amazing hosts who embodied everything we stand for at Belong in Bryan. Before we had even arrived to set up for the event, they had our section clearly marked with flags, parking signs, and an area for us to set up a welcome booth. They even donated FOUR restaurant gift cards to give away to our awesome community. The fun didn’t stop there, Nikki, Mateo, Rich and all the staff created a delicious drink specifically for our event, called “The Bryanite”, which everyone loved! Custom puzzle piece “Belong in Bryan” coasters added the perfect final touch to our event.
We kicked off our event with the amazing DJ Missee Mora generously donating her time and talents. She played the best mix of music and helped keep the vibe bright and fun. She had our attendees dancing and singing along all night.
Aggieland Bounce Houses & Beyond gifted us the most amazing castle bounce house which kept the kids (and maybe an adult or two) happy! They showed up early to set up and were so nice and professional. Check their business out for your next inflatable need.
Savage Diva volunteered their talents to help sell our I Heart Bryan merchandise! We love partnering with them. Check out their store located in the Historic Astin Building. If you didn’t get a chance to pick up merchandise at the event, they sell our t-shirts, stickers, and bandanas along with all of their amazing boutique treasures.
Metronet Fiber takes the honor of being Belong in Bryan’s FIRST Corporate Sponsorship! They generously funded appetizers and drinks that our team passed out to our guests. They too embodied what we stand for at Belong in Bryan. They connected with us at our first event in August of 2022 and wanted to give back to our community in a special way. We can’t think of a better way for our attendees to be welcomed at our event than with free food and refreshments.
Our community members had the opportunity to speak with some other local non-profit organizations that we are lucky to partner with! They each shared information about their organizations and what they are passionate about. Thank you to Aggieland Humane Society, Girl Scouts of Central Texas, JJ’s Alcohol and Drug Recovery Network, Royal Roots of Freedom, Sexual Assault Resource Center, The Dog Aging Project, and the United Way of Brazos Valley for taking time to attend our event and help connect our community with amazing resources.
Connection is at the heart of Belong in Bryan and we want to share one final story from the night that would never have happened without this event. Aggieland Humane Society had a booth set up at our event. A couple who attended the event had adopted their dog “Buzz” (now Cooper) in January of 2022 from AHS. They were so excited to show the AHS volunteers their canine family member and how much he had grown. When scrolling through the photos, one of the first puppy photos had a second dog pictured, their dog’s brother. The AHS volunteer immediately recognized their dog’s brother as “Woody” and personally knew the owner – – our amazing initiative leader, Kristin, who was hosting the event! Not only did the couple get connected with Kristin, but Woody was at the event! They were thrilled to connect and even have a reunion playdate planned for the pups!
Our next Meet & Mingle Event is scheduled for August 5th at BigShots of Aggieland from 6:00p.m.- 8:00p.m.
