CONNECTICUT, USA — J Timothy’s Taverne, Martin Rosols and Frank Pepe's Pizzeria are teaming up to raise money for the Husky Ticket Project, a nonprofit that gives underserved youth a chance to attend a UConn home game for free.
The fundraising idea stems from the days following the news the Los Angeles Lakers were offering UConn men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley a multi-million-dollar deal. That’s when J Timothy’s Taverne posted to X, offering Hurley free wings for life if he chose to stay.
The post quickly went viral with Martin Rosol’s Meats and Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria making similar offers. The three restaurants say business boomed in response to the offer and ever since they wanted to give back to UConn Nation.
“When we do well, why should we not help other people out when we can, and once we got in contact with the Husky Ticket Project, this was a no brainer,” said Rino Ouellet, manager at J Timothy’s Taverne.
All of the proceeds from Thursday night's fundraiser will benefit the Husky Ticket Project.
“We do our best to support every ticket event at UConn. So obviously our big ticket items are football, men's and women's basketball. But we also support you know, hockey and baseball and softball and men's or women's soccer,” said Kevin Solomon, co-founder of Husky Ticket Project.
The group’s goal is to keep young people active and engaged while inspiring them to pursue higher education.
“Our motto is to build the next generation of UConn fans and to help inspire them to you know, maybe go to college when they might not. So, it's really great for them and for us to see it all happen and we can't thank our supporters enough,” said Solomon.
The sold-out fundraiser is filled with food, drinks and a chance to mingle with UConn royalty.
“We do have some special guests that will be in attendance tomorrow the UConn men's basketball team will be in attendance. Andrea Hurley herself the queen of Connecticut will be in attendance. We may have a few other surprises for folks that'll be there as well,” said Solomon.
While there are no more tickets available for Thursday’s fundraiser, those interested in donating to the Husky Ticket Project can do so by visiting their website.
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Jake Garcia is a multimedia journalist for FOX61 News. He can be reached at jgarcia@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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