VINA’s annual Tailgate took place entirely online over the course of three weeks leading up to the Michigan vs. Michigan State game. The online event featured an expansive silent auction along with mini-contests and updates on social media.


The Tailgate had 100 bidders and more than 50 sponsors who participated in raising money for VINA in their team’s name. The difference between each team’s final total was less than $500 and the totals were neck-and-neck down to the very end.


The winner of The Tailgate this year is Michigan State! The Spartans were victorious both on and off the field this year. As always, they win bragging rights for the next year while knowing they are helping their underserved neighbors in Livingston County get access to affordable dental care and education.


An added prize for the winner of this year’s Tailgate is a canopy outside of the clinic to shield VINA volunteers, staff and patients from winter weather during the COVID screening process. The attached graphic below shows an idea of what the front of the clinic will look like in the coming winter months with a green and white Spartans canopy to mark their victory.


VINA would like to thank all the sponsors and donors who supported the clinic this year and made the fundraising event successful. Additional thanks to the many generous businesses in the community who supported VINA by having donation jars out or donating gift cards for the Dollar-for-Dollar portion of the auction.


On October 30, 2020 VINA supporters, volunteers and staff met at Brewery Becker to countdown the close of the silent auction and end of The Tailgate. Those who attended watched the clock wind down to when bidding stopped and The Tailgate officially ended, just 18 hours before Michigan and Michigan State kicked off the game this year.


A special thanks to our team captains this year, George Moses for Michigan State and Bill Anderson for Michigan. They rallied their teams to support VINA and their community throughout the three weeks of The Tailgate.

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The VINA Community Dental Center of Livingston County is a non-profit outreach facility that provides affordable dental care and education to more than 1,500 patients in Livingston County with limited finances. VINA improves quality of life through better oral health, promoting dental care seeking behaviors and elevating prevention awareness.

“VINA” stands for Vision, Integrity, Need, and Action.

A digital rendering of a canopy that VINA will purchase to place outside of the clinic both as a prize for Michigan State winning The Tailgate and as a way to protect patients, staff and volunteers from winter weather during the COVID screening process.

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