~~~~~~ Please enjoy this slightly refreshed story of the birth of BYCAP with some #KnowYourHistory and new info! ~~~~~~
It started with a guy named Tim Birr and a Stuttgart jersey. See, ‘Uncle Birr’ had this pint rule: if he sees something that he thinks someone would like, he has a simple formula for whether or not he should buy it:
#1 - How much does it cost? If it is the price of a pint, then it goes on to the next round.
#2 - Would I buy this person a pint? If so, then the item could act as a gift.
The last consideration - step #3 - Is to consider… Would the person prefer the pint? (In this case, please don’t. That is not what we are going for here. Read on!)
In times before… Hermes and Pong (they were capos, some of you may have heard of them, or remember their antics) started talking about ways to get the people in the North End to say, “Thanks for yellin’ at me all season, asshole,” - but in a positive manner - when the idea of voice came up. We (the capos with the assistance of DnT) help this extremely passive-aggressive city to find its voice and collectively, when needed, be aggressive (even if all we do is sing-song melodies now instead of taunts).
They brainstormed this amazing thing. They were trying to create something new (then) that showed how we acknowledge our respect for each other, the volunteers, and the players, while realizing that no matter how good or bad things are within the season, we were part of something bigger. Whether or not they (and now, we) yelled at you, if you were part of the North End or elsewhere in the stadium, it matters that you were there, and it could be a whole lot worse. What makes it manageable is our shared experience. Our community.
Back in the aughts, who even thought about the fact that kids in wheelchairs didn’t have a treehouse before Harper’s Playground? Or realized that there were summer camps for kids with speech pathology support, or that there are so many kids in our own community that cannot afford to “pay to play,” or even have a pitch to kick around on.
We, the 107IST, TA, Riveters, Cascadia, Portland, empathetic and aware humanity, want to create a philosophy that is realizable. That is, we want to actualize our beliefs into actions. To be there for our community and those who cannot always step up.
We, the capos, strive to help people find their voice. Thus, BYCAP is born. “Buy Your Capo A Pint” is a chance for the people in our community, in the Axe & Rose, in the Park, and in our sections, to say, “Thank you” to the volunteers that pay for entry, turn their backs to the pitch, and give it their all, including broken bodies and voices to the attempt to conduct Portland’s largest performance art action to a deafening crescendo of passion and support for our players. We do this, BYCAP, so that we (capos) can help kids who experience speech, hearing, and communication challenges, or are in situations that systemically diminish them, get the help that they need to find their OWN voice.
In 2010, the capo crew passed a hat around the crowd while the Portland Punk Rock Collective played a gig in which they donated their share of the door fee/bar revenue to the Camp Meadowood Springs cause. With this, combined with a bump from the 107IST, we were able to fully fund one kid for summer camp. All of this with maybe a week’s notice.
In 2011, the cost of camp was $1,500 for new campers and $1,200 for returning kids. Instead of passing the hat at a punk show, we passed it among the TA during our penultimate match of the season. We aimed to raise enough for 3 kids to attend that year; it is always good to have a stretch goal, but in the end, we raised enough from our donations to fully fund one camper.
We have repeated this BYCAP fundraiser with varying outcomes during the final season match each year, expanding the effort to include a different BYCAP recipient for the Riveters capos/supporters starting in 2013.
This year, we are back at it again.
At the final regular season home matches, you will see the capos with donation buckets around the stadium, at the nests and on the stage, one with the DnT, and there will be a bucket at LEGENDS bar pre-match. All buckets will also have a QR code for those who don’t carry cash, but still want to donate.
During the weeks between the last regular-season home matches (Timbers and Thorns, respectively), you can also use (and share!) the provided QR code to direct you to this URL (https://107ist.org/107ist/donate) for the online donation tool. It will ask you which fund you want to donate to - please select the appropriate BYCAP option. If you want to support both, you will need to do each donation individually.
So, here we are - back to ‘Uncle Birr’s’ pint rule - for the cost of a pint, you can make a difference.
~~~~~~ See you in the stands ~~~~~~
A few basic (but important!) details about the BYCAP fundraiser.
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We call it the BYCAP fundraiser because throughout the season, kind folks buy us a pint now and then, often more as the season is wrapping up. Instead of that literal pint, put those few bucks into the donation bucket so we can collectively make a difference.
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With the members-only bar at Legends at the Axe & Rose, we will also have a collection bucket at the bar, and as always, a QR code/URL so you have digital ways for you to donate, even if you aren't in the stadium when the buckets are passed around
Timbers' final regular-season home match:
Sat. October 18th v. San Diego FC
100% of Proceeds to: Camp Meadowood Springs
https://www.meadowoodsprings.org/
Thorns' final regular-season home match:
Sun, November 2nd v. Houston Dash
100% of Proceeds to: Girls Build
https://girlsbuild.org
Donation URL for both events: https://107ist.org/107ist/donate
