Martini with a twist of conscious

The conversation I found myself in at Felix was actually interesting, and the money I was dropping on a delicious mango martini was going to a decent cause, Words Beats and Life, a non profit in the city. This was Grassrootz Tuesdays, Smokingrill's weekly happy hour for young professionals to meet, greet, and support organizations that support the community.

Curt Midkiff of Smokingrill explained, "folks want to get involved but don't know how to start. So with Grassrootz we bring the non-profits andyoung professionals together in a chill environment." With a steady rotation of A Tribe Called Quest, Biggie, Tupac and much ol' school, it was definitely chill. This could be a fairly regular spot. Next week's charity is Tamika and Friends, "national nonprofit organization designed to raise awareness about cervical cancer and its link to the human papillomavirus (HPV) through a network of survivors and their friends."

But I also like to get my dance on, and Grassrootz was just a tease. Luckily a conscious chick like myself can do both at Stockholm1976, monthly soirees at Kolumbia where a portion of the proceeds go to local charities, like the Genocide Intervention Fund and the One Campaign.

Why charity? Russ tells me "It's more cool to do charity stuff now, not as boring or mundane." The charities walk aways with an average of $1000 and fresh volunteers, nothing to laugh at in a city of thousands of non-profits clamoring for money and manpower. The key to getting people out, he says, is not to flag it as a charity event, but instead a hot party with a conscience. "It makes a difference in people's minds and helps to expand it," Russ says.

And isn't it about time we spent money on something that matters?