OUR STORY
AT FRIENDS WITH BENEFIT EVENTS, OUR TEAM HAS ALWAYS BEEN DRIVEN BY A PASSION FOR HELPING OTHERS. WE BELIEVE IN DREAMS, SPREADING POSITIVITY, AND SHARING LOVE AROUND THE WORLD.
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IN THE 2016 HOLIDAY SEASON, OUR FOUNDER STUMBLED UPON A TRUE-STORY MOVIE ABOUT A YOUNG BOY BATTLING CANCER. SHE HAD NO IDEA WHAT THE STORY ENTAILED OR THE INCREDIBLE WORK ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL DOES FOR CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES. BY THE MOVIE’S CLIMAX, SHE WAS MOVED TO TEARS. THE UNWAVERING DEDICATION OF THE DOCTORS AND THE RESILIENCE OF THE FAMILIES LEFT HER BOTH HEARTBROKEN AND INSPIRED. WITNESSING THE BOY’S JOURNEY, SHE MADE A PERSONAL PROMISE TO DEDICATE HERSELF TO RAISING FUNDS FOR ST. JUDE—A PROMISE THAT HAS BEEN HONORED EVER SINCE. THIS HEARTFELT MISSION MARKED THE BEGINNING OF FRIENDS WITH BENEFIT EVENTS.
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SO, WHAT DOES “FRIENDS WITH BENEFIT” MEAN? THE TERM MAY HAVE COUNTLESS INTERPRETATIONS, BUT FOR US, IT EMBODIES A SIMPLE IDEA: WE ARE ALL CONNECTED, AND TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. WE BENEFIT YOU BY CREATING UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES. YOU BENEFIT CHARITIES THROUGH YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT. AND CHARITIES, IN TURN, BENEFIT THOSE IN NEED. IT’S ONE BIG LOVE TRIANGLE OF GIVING AND SHARED IMPACT—AND THAT’S WHAT TRULY MATTERS.
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OUR CLOSE FRIEND, ANTWON TANNER, BEST KNOWN FOR HIS ROLE AS “SKILLS” ON ONE TREE HILL, WAS THE FIRST CELEBRITY TO JOIN OUR MISSION AND HELP RAISE DONATIONS. INSPIRED BY HIS OWN CHARITABLE PASSIONS, WE REALIZED THAT OUR IMPACT COULD EXTEND FAR BEYOND ST. JUDE. TODAY, FRIENDS WITH BENEFIT SUPPORTS HUNDREDS OF ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE WORLD, SPREADING HOPE AND LOVE WHEREVER IT’S NEEDED.
MEET OUR FOUNDER
RAE AGOSTINO, FOUNDER OF FRIENDS WITH BENEFIT EVENTS, WAS RAISED IN SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, AND FOLLOWED HER CREATIVE AND PHILANTHROPIC PASSIONS TO WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA IN JULY OF 2011. SHORTLY AFTER RELOCATING, SHE APPEARED AS KAREN’S CAFE WAITRESS IN SEASON 9 OF ONE TREE HILL, A ROLE THAT HELPED SHAPE MUCH OF HER CREATIVE JOURNEY. A COOKBOOK AUTHOR, LICENSED ESTHETICIAN, AND ENTREPRENEUR, RAE HAS TRANSFORMED HER LOVE FOR ONE TREE HILL INTO CREATIVE VENTURES INCLUDING THE TASTE OF TREE HILL COOKBOOK, THE GIRL BEHIND THE RED DOOR COSMETICS, AND THE WORLD’S FIRST ONE TREE HILL–THEMED AIRBNB VACATION HOME, RAVEN. THROUGH FRIENDS WITH BENEFIT EVENTS, SHE CHANNELS HER CREATIVITY AND PLATFORM INTO GIVING BACK, USING UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES TO RAISE AWARENESS, SPREAD LOVE, AND SUPPORT CHARITABLE CAUSES AROUND THE WORLD.