“It all started with a little party in our garage"
In 2017 Shannon met Mike Dorman, the Founder of Military Missions in Action (MMIA) and led a large-scale give back event at Cisco Systems in Research Triangle Park, NC where hundreds of volunteers packaged and donated over 400 kitchen and bath kits for homeless veterans in NC. Shannon served on the board of MMIA as the Secretary from 2017 to 2019.
Shannon Fuller has always loved a good party and is proud of her Irish/Portuguese heritage. So in 2017 Shannon and her husband Geoff decided to host a St Patrick's Day Party at their house for a few friends. She made Irish Stew and everyone brought an appetizer.
"When we moved to NC I was so moved by how nice everyone was. The Southern hospitality was real. And I remember telling my husband “I’m not nice enough to live here!” But over time it’s rubbed off and the people in our small community have shown me what it means to be a good neighbor and friend. So I knew if I turned our party into a fundraiser our friends would show up big and support it. And they did. "
In 2018, Shannon and Geoff transformed their house party into a FUNdraiser benefiting Military Missions in Action (MMIA) raising $4500 in one night! In 2019 the event raised $7400, a 39% increase.
In March 2023, Shannon and a team of volunteers scaled the fundraiser from a private party with 100 attendees to a public event with 300+ attendees hosting a St Patrick's Day Party with a Purpose in memory of friend Michael Lange benefiting The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD)
The event was a huge success exceeding their goal by 139% raising $23,770!
“It all started with a little St Patrick’s Day party in our garage”
In August 2023, Shannon shaved her head at the Growler Volleyball Tournament for St Baldrick’s in honor of Sara Beth B., a four-year-old little girl fighting cancer. Shannon exceeded her goal by 26% raising $12,671 in 4 weeks.