The VIP 12th Fan Tailgating Party, an experience that has infiltrated Qwest Field during every home game to give one lucky Qdoba & Seahawks fan (and 20 of their closest friends) the time of their lives, visited a local high school last week to raise money for a very special cause.

Andrew Rekdahl, or Mr. Rekdahl to the students at Eastside Catholic High School in Bellevue, WA was diagnosed with intestinal cancer last year, and since battling the disease has racked up a staggering amount in medical bills. Qdoba Mexican Grill, in the first of 5 local charity events scheduled as part of
the VIP Tailgating Experience campaign, brought the lounge to Eastside Catholic’s Homecoming Game Tailgating Fundraiser to raise money for Andrew and his family. Students, teachers, parents and supporters could enter the VIP lounge, which features sleek leather furniture, bar tables & chairs, Madden 2011 on XBOX 360 and Direct TV on three flat screen TVs and enjoy a full 200-person catering bar supplied by Qdoba for the event. Also in attendance was the famous Seahawks Tailgating Truck, serving Qdoba’s chips & queso to hungry EC fans.

We’re happy to report that the event raised over $20,000 to go toward Andrew’s medical bills, and even happier to report that yesterday from 3pm-5pm at the Qdoba Issaquah location, all proceeds from the $5 meal deal went directly to the Andrew Rekdahl Fund!

You’ve probably heard the controversy over bottled water companies that are simply bottling tap water and charging something like a 2000% premium to consumers.

Rainier Ice is not one of those companies.

Rainier Ice is a premium all-natural Artesian water. It rises from a pure, protected aquifer fed by pristine Cascade Mountain rain and snow. No tap water, no processed spring water. A simple and rare delicacy found in few places in the world.

Needless to say, we’re believers. Rainier Ice brought us a case of water to try on our own and turns out their “It’s the Taste” tagline is unbelievably accurate – the bottles disappeared in something like 24 hours.

So, when we were asked by Rainier Ice to increase brand awareness of their product line, we knew that people had to try the water itself to experience the difference. So, we unleashed a team of Brand Ambassadors, trained on the differences between Rainier Ice Artesian water and the aforementioned glorified tap water companies, on Seattle’s huge Seafair weekend festivities. While teams handed out bottled water, our supersized 10′x22′ Great White A-Frame Mobile Billboard Truck canvassed the area to create more brand awareness and connect the launch. Throughout the day, we distributed over 1,400 bottles and made a lot of reconsider their favorite bottled water company…