Over four hours on Tuesday night — through a combination of lap dances, live music, comic skits and auctions — Portland’s strippers and burlesque performers raised more than $60,000 for patients at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.
It was a new record for the stage show Tatas for Toys, which has now donated more than $243,000 worth of new toys to the hospital since 2011.
Twin 24-foot poles graced the stage of the sold-out show at the 400-seat Alberta Rose Theatre. In two shifts, about 30 dancers put on a Jerry Lewis telethon–style variety show that encouraged audience members to toss their dollar bills on stage for a good cause. Online viewers were also able to donate through the streaming platform Twitch.
The mixed-gender crowd was generous, and by 9:30 p.m., the dancers had raised $28,000.
Shortly after 10 p.m., the tally hit $40,000. That was after the auction of a “sex on the beach” vacation package to Manzanita sold for $1,800, and a VIP tour of seven Portland strip clubs went for $2,700.
“What a night to be in Portland, Oregon,” said co-host Aaron Ross. “What a night to be a stripper!”
By 10:30 p.m., the fundraising total exceeded $58,000.
At the end of the show, the bills were still being tallied, but by Wednesday morning, Ross said the total had surpassed $60,000. That makes this year’s Tatas for Toys the biggest fundraiser in the event’s 15-year history.
Ross said the goal of the show was twofold: “Getting toys for kids at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, and representing and uplifting the sex worker community.”
Money raised goes toward purchasing toys for Doernbecher’s Child Life Therapy Program, which helps children cope with hospitalization through play, education and creative activities.
“Everybody put so much hard work into this show, volunteering their time, going shopping, sharing their stories and their vulnerability with us,” said Tatas for Toys co-host ToX!c.
Valentina, 24, was a first-time dancer in Tatas for Toys. Three years ago, she had been a surgery patient at Doernbecher, serving as a bone marrow transplant donor for her younger brother.
“I was up there on stage and when (Ross) introduced me, and I almost cried. It’s a very emotional thing for me,” she said. “My brother was in and out of Doernbecher every other week because he had sickle cell anemia, and I was his bone marrow donor, so we spent a lot of time at that hospital.”
Recovery from her own surgery, which caused a fracture of her pelvis, took months. Today, however, both she and her brother are doing well.
“Dancing helped me in ways that I couldn’t imagine, and then getting to use that and do this, I get to do something good,” she said. “I get to use all those skills that I’ve built up over six years, and I’m so excited for next year.”
After the show, dancers visit MudPuddles Toys & Books in Sherwood to purchase toys from Doernbecher’s wish list.
“When we were looking for a toy store to partner with us, people told us no because we were sex workers and strippers,” ToX!c told the audience. “But MudPuddles Toys always treated us like people.”
MudPuddles owner Kate Noreen remembered the first time that dancers came to buy toys from her store about eight years ago.
“It’s not every day that somebody pays with a bag of single dollar bills,” Noreen said. “They told us they were doing this fundraiser and brought their money to us. Then the following year, I got an email from Aaron Ross saying they’d like to keep the spending local. I said yes, I’ll support you.”
The show is not only a boon for the hospital, but also a big help to Noreen’s small business. Even with the 20% discount Noreen provides to Tatas for Toys, the sales are significant for MudPuddles, which closed its Northwest Portland location over the summer.
“Who am I to judge how people raise money?” Noreen said.
Noreen attended Tatas for Toys for the first time Tuesday night, where she got a special shoutout from the stage.
“I’m so happy to see it,” she said. “It’s been amazing.”