Jazzy June returns next month on June 2 for the ninth year in a row to bring about networking, a business showcase, fine dining and drinks, raffles and entertainment, all for an excellent cause.
And with a title like Jazzy June, the event planners shouldn’t have a hard time getting interested professional woman to be intrigued by this always popular annual event.
Rachael Costner, owner of Women’s Resource and founder of Jazzy June, started the event back in 2001 initially because she put together local directories of Tacoma businesses and wanted a way to bring that physical document to life.
“I wanted to get people to know who they’re working with. The first event took place at the Landmark Convention Center, 70 people attended, and each year it’s been just a bit different. The idea was to create a purposeful, fundraising element to the event, and I was learning about different causes in the area. It gives people purpose and a reason to come out,” Costner said.
In the past few years, Jazzy June has raised money for the Tacoma School of the Arts, the Washington Academy of Performing Arts, Washington Women’s Employment & Education, the Breast Cancer Resource Center, and for two years now, the National MS Society.
The event is geared toward female business owners, generally between the ages 25-65, and those who work in companies that are trying to create a profession (and are out of school) and those with established businesses. But you don’t have to be a business owner in order to attend.
“The majority of attendants are business owners, but lots of them also work for themselves or for a larger business and need to market it,” Costner affirmed. “It’s also from the angle of ‘what are you looking for?’ Hair? Spa? Need a lawyer, an insurance person? You never know who you’re going to bump into. I always say that I know someone who knows someone who knows someone.”
Every year, Jazzy June takes on a different theme that the evening’s entertainment and other aspects of the event follow. Costner affirms attendants appreciate the element so people can sit back, relax, enjoy the moment and not work.
“Last year ‘America’s Got Talent’ became huge, so we stole it and changed it to ‘Jazzy June’s Got Talent,’ and we’re doing that again this year. Twelve people auditioned. Women who work for Nordstrom, Bates Technical College and the Tacoma School District are the three finalists. The audience votes for the winner during the event.”
Each finalist will have a solo performance, and the winner will take part in an encore performance while the audience is enjoying a dessert dash that starts after the individual performances.
Speaking of food, the event hosts an impressive list of local restaurants, bakers and wineries, all local and all providing delectable dining items. The Emerald Queen Casino, Toscano’s Cafe and Wine Bar of Puyallup and Cafe Pacific Catering will prepare the food for the entertaining night. All of the desserts included in the dessert dash were donated by local businesses, including a Grand Affair Catering, Woody’s on the Water, Granny Lala’s Specialty Bakery, the Celebrity Cake Studio and more. Beers will be provided from the newly opened Harmon Tap Room, and one of the wine sponsors is also Toscano’s. Mad Hat Tea and Hazelwood Coffee will be providing the evening’s non-alcoholic drinks.
Raffles will be going on throughout the evening at Jazzy June, with proceeds going back to the National MS Society. Raffle items will be offered up from a variety of merchants, including Becky Fossum Golf, Studio 6 Ballroom, Do the Right Thing Publishing and many more are being added daily.
Though she’s not a born and bred native, Costner says that over time she’s come to “feel like a Tacoma girl.” And her own experience with working in Tacoma and starting an advertising agency here 10 years ago is inspiring to other individuals attempting to do the same, or to simply make a name for themselves in their chosen field. More than anything, she desires that any interested Tacoma women come to the event and see what kind of connections they can leave with after a few hours of enjoying themselves.
“We want everybody to come out and have a good time.”
Jazzy June takes place Wednesday, June 2, from 5-9 p.m. at University of Washington-Tacoma, William W. Philip Hall, located at 1918 Pacific Ave. Tickets are $45 in advance, and there will be no at door sales. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (253) 572-9108 or visit www.jazzyjune.com.
