Most people cringe at the thought of working on a holiday, but one bartender in Pass-a-Grille is working from dusk until dawn on Christmas day, by choice.
Each year, for the past seven years, bartender Ian O’Connell has donated all of the tips from his double shift at Sea Critters on Christmas to charities that assist Tampa Bay area veterans.
It’s a tradition that started when one of his customers asked what he would do with all his Christmas tips.
“I told him I was going to find a veterans hall and donate it. He told me he would match it. The doctor next to him said he would too, and the lawyer next to him said he would too,” O’Connell said.
During the past seven years, the Christmas fundraiser has brought in around $60,000.
Many local businesses have donated to the cause or agreed to match O’Connell’s tips.
This year O’Connell hopes to raise $20,000 for Heaven on Earth for Veterans.
For more information on the Christmas fundraiser and how you can donate, click here.
