Milwaukee City Wire

The Great Lakes Hemophilia Foundation (GLHF) is marking one major milestone by embarking on an added venture.

In addition to celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Milwaukee's Bloody Mary tasting contest at the Italian Community Center, this year the Foundation expanded to host the first annual Green Bay Best Bloody competition. A crowd of approximately 500 gathered, and 10 different bars competed to win the award for best bloody mary, with all the funds raised going to aid the Wisconsin bleeding disorders community.

“It’s been fantastic,” Danielle Baxter, GLHF executive director, told TMJ4 in April. “In the nine years we’ve been doing this we’ve raised almost $500,000, served 72,000 bloody marys, we’ve had 6,000 people attend and we’ve helped more than 5,000 patients.”

The Best Bloody event was held on July 9 at the Resch Expo in Green Bay, a WFRV report said. Local bars competed for the title of best bloody mary while also raising money for the cause.

The GLHF is a statewide chapter that researches, advocates and fundraises for Wisconsin residents who are affected by conditions like hemophilia and von Willebrand disease. The foundation hosts fundraisers, community events, panels and lectures, and it even has a special camp for kids affected by bleeding conditions.

“(Our) mission is to educate, support, and advocate for the bleeding disorders community of Wisconsin,” GLHF told WFRV. “Our vision is a life without limits for people and families living with a bleeding disorder.”

Considered to be rare bleeding disorders, hemophilia and von Willebrand nonetheless reportedly impact more than 3,600 Wisconsin families, including an estimated 400 families in the Green Bay area.