New York; July 8, 2013 – Speed Rack, the national all-female speed-bartending competition that raises money for breast cancer charities, just wrapped its second national tour. And with the funds raised – more than $150,000 and counting so far – the organization has announced that it will make a donation to the Helen David Memorial Fund, part of the U.S. Bartenders Guild National Charity Foundation. The initial donation will specifically help a San Francisco bar manager who required testing for the BRCA1 gene, which is not currently covered by most medical insurance.
“Speed Rack seeks to support small charities that can have a big impact,” says Speed Rack co-founder Lynnette Marrero. “The Helen David Memorial Fund can directly help our bartender colleagues, and seeing the money raised by the Speed Rack events help an individual in our community makes all the hard work well worth it.”
“Helen David was the first person to teach me to make a cocktail,” says Tony Abou-Gamin, a.k.a. The Modern Mixologist (and Helen’s cousin). “To say she was a mentor to me is an understatement. Helen was a two-time survivor of breast cancer and dedicated a great deal of time in her final years generating support for cancer research. After opening the Brass Rail in 1937, Helen was always an advocate for woman working behind the bar. I know she would be honored and humbled to be associated with Speed Rack, and would be very proud of each and every woman who is wielding a cocktail shaker behind the bar today.
The Helen David Bartender Relief Fund honors the memory of the beloved Port Huron, MI, bar owner and community leader for whom the foundation is named. Beating breast cancer twice during her life, Helen David is an inspiration to those living with the disease. In her name, the HDBRF assists women in the bar industry who are taking on breast cancer with the dignity and courage Helen displayed through her battle, and exemplified throughout her life, as a pioneer business owner in the bar industry.
The first nationwide competition designed to highlight up-and-coming women in the cocktail industry, and give back to those impacted by breast cancer, Speed Rack taps top female bartenders in leading cocktail markets and puts them head to head in timed challenges – all for the purpose of raising funds for breast cancer charities and other charities supporting breast cancer research. To date, Speed Rack has raised more than $150,000. Speed Rack, Inc. was created by produced by nationally acclaimed bartenders and industry ambassadors, Lynnette Marrero and Ivy Mix in conjunction with event coordination by Claire Bertin-Lang of CBLLC and videos by Le Jit Productions.
Additional information can be found on the Speed Rack website www.speed-rack.com, on Facebook www.facebook/speedrackinfo and on Twitter @speed_rack. Check out the antics at this year’s regional heats by visiting: http://www.speed-rack.com/videos
