Maxine’s Tap Room will host a fundraiser for the Maxine Miller Legacy Fund on what would have been Maxine’s 100th birthday next month.
The event is set for 3-6 p.m. on Cinco De Mayo (May 5), and will include margaritas, pitchers of beer, tacos from local food truck Margaret’s, birthday cake, and a toast to Maxine.
Tickets are $50, and proceeds will benefit the Maxine Miller Legacy Fund, a legacy endowment created in 2022 to help support students in the University of Arkansas’ Gender Studies Program to help with scholarships, expenses and more.
The fund reached endowment in Dec. of 2023, guaranteeing that the fund will exist in perpetuity at the UA according to Lisa Corrigan, Professor of Communication and director of the Gender Studies Program.
Corrigan said the online fundraiser for the scholarship fund was the most successful FundRAZOR crowdfunding campaign in campus history. Large donations from Ozark Beer Co. ($1,000), Riffraff of Fayetteville ($1,300), and $2,880 raised during the 10th annual Egg Nog Competition by current Maxine’s caretakers Hannah Withers and Ben Gitchel along with a donation by anonymous patron of the bar helped secure the endowment.
“We are extremely grateful for the tremendous groundswell of public support for the Maxine Miller Legacy Fund and for the individual and corporate donors who have prioritized this avenue for students at the University of Arkansas and are so excited for Phase Two of the fundraising campaign,” said Lisa Corrigan, director of the gender studies program. “This endowment honors a groundbreaking local business owner, Maxine Miller, and will help us attract, support, and retain outstanding students through new scholarships, research funding, and conference travel. We are hopeful that this year’s campaign for the Fund will top last year’s incredible success and allow us to support even more students across campus in their work.”
Andrea Foren, Maxine’s niece who owns the bar, said she knows Maxine would be thrilled with the success of the fund so far.
“I think this legacy fund keeps Maxie (and Maxine’s), her memory and passion for this community and students at the University of Arkansas thriving,” Foren said. “Maxine was a stern woman, but at heart she was a giver and loved helping hard working people. This legacy fund continues her passion for just that.”
For more information, check out the Facebook event here.
For tickets, visit maxinestaproom.com.
