Wheeling Heritage’s Show of Hands event returns this Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. at the Wheeling Artisan Center, and you’re invited!
If you’re unfamiliar with Show of Hands, it’s a community-supported crowdfunding event that awards more than $4,000 to a local business. Think of it as a local version of the popular television show Shark Tank, where attendees are the “sharks” who donate $5 at the door in exchange for a ballot. After listening to four business owners make their pitch, the audience votes for their favorite presenter, and the person with the most votes takes home the prize money.
In addition to money collected at the door, Show of Hands is supported by its corporate sponsor, Orrick, along with several “Friends of Show of Hands” contributors. These supporters include:
- Barb & Fuzz LaRue
- Brian Joseph, Touchstone Research Laboratory
- Bridgeway Capital
- Dan and Debbie Joseph
- FXB
- H. Lawrence Jones and Sue Blevins
- Kennen & Kennen Realtors
- Rabbi Joshua Lief & Rebecca Lief
- Sikora Montessori
- Warwood Armature
- Wheeling VW-Subaru
- Will and Tracey Turani
- and anonymous donors.
To date, Wheeling Heritage has awarded more than $105,000 to 28 businesses in Wheeling through Show of Hands. This time around, in honor of Black History Month, Show of Hands will feature a lineup of all Black-owned businesses in Wheeling. Get to know the latest round of Show of Hands contestants by checking out these videos produced by the Wheeling Heritage Media Team.
Vondel Bell, Visionary
Rica Dabney, Just Me & More Salon
Tarrika Jenkins, Little Blessings Childcare
Daniel Pearson, Movers 4 You
READ MORE: Support Black-Owned Businesses in the Wheeling Area
Who will take home the top prize? Only you can decide! Join us on February 8 at the Wheeling Artisan Center (1400 Main Street, third floor) to cast your vote. Doors open at 6 p.m. and presentations will begin at 6:30 p.m. If you can’t attend in person, Wheeling Heritage will live-stream the event from its website and offer online voting for a short window of time during the event at wheelingheritage.org/vote.
In addition to the evening’s four presenters, local rap artist Isaiah “Keez” Alford will perform at 6 p.m. when doors open. Plus, for an additional $5 donation at the door, in-person attendees can sign up to make a 1-minute community announcement. This is a great opportunity for small businesses, organizations, and individuals to share important information about upcoming events and initiatives with a large crowd.
Learn more about Show of Hands by visiting wheelingheritage.org.
