HOLMES BEACH – A fundraiser held at the Anchor Inn raised more than $33,000 for the teenage son of longtime Anna Maria Island resident and bartender Courtney Call.
Call, 42, passed away unexpectedly in her sleep on June 5, leaving behind her 16-year old son, Matthew Curry. Call previously worked at the Anchor Inn in Holmes Beach and at TommyKnockers in Bradenton Beach. Some of the money raised may also be used to help pay some of Courtney’s final expenses.
Anchor Inn owners Darla and Bobby Tingler hosted the Wednesday, June 23 fundraiser, which was preceded by the Friday, June 18 beach memorial and fundraiser at TommyKnockers that raised about $550.
Bradenton Beach residents Sarah Santos and Kaitlind Lawrence played significant roles in securing from individuals, couples and businesses on and around Anna Maria Island and beyond the donated silent auction and Chinese raffle items for the Anchor Inn fundraiser.
The donated items included vacation rental and resort stays, dining experiences, gift certificates to numerous local restaurants, bars, retail shops, fishing excursions, recreational activities, as well as donated art and more.
The 50/50 raffle raised $2,200, including the 50% share of the winnings the raffle winner donated back to the cause. The Anchor Inn also gave out bottles of liquor as prizes for the free raffles.
A group of West Manatee Fire Rescue firefighters collected $190 among themselves and donated that to the fundraising efforts.
“These firemen took money out of their own pockets. That gave me goosebumps,” Darla Tingler said.
“We had a painting called “A Table for Two” that was valued at $2,500,” she added.
“Thank you to all that volunteered and a huge shout out to all those that donated,” Tingler said.
“We had over 100 donations. Sarah and Kaitlind pretty much put it together. They’re the ones that made the calls for donations. My mom always taught me to look at the bright side of things and through this tragedy, there was the bright spot of the community coming together to help,” Tingler said.
“The overwhelming support from our local businesses and people is truly heartwarming,” said Santos, who owns and operates AMI Boat Tours. “The way our local community comes together to support and help each other in difficult times such as this never ceases to amaze me. Matthew is a special kid and he will forever be part of our local family.”
According to Tingler, Matthew was visiting family members in Maine at the time of his mother’s unexpected passing. Tingler said family members and close family friends are still working out the legalities and details as to where Matthew will live and who will take care of him. Tingler and others are also working out the legalities of providing a 16-year-old with such a significant amount of money, and a trust fund may be part of the solution.
As of Monday morning, the “Courtney Call Memorial Benefitting Matthew Curry” GoFundMe page had raised an additional $12,782, and online donations are still being accepted.
