The last time I attended the annual Tats for Tatas event — a breast cancer awareness fundraiser hosted by Casey Vinall and Maria Gonzalez of Tattoos & Scars Saloon — I had no idea what I was getting into. I was still rather new to the Keys and just starting to get used to “island life.” At first, I thought the event was some kind of bingo night. But the moment I stepped into Tattoos & Scars Saloon, I was overtaken by the spectacle of the whole event.
You hear raffle calls every 30 minutes. Showgirls walk around taking pictures with attendees, and everyone is dressed in their “breast” fits for the night.
Heading into my second time attending, I figured I’d have a general idea of how the night would go. I can say without question that I was wrong again.
Once more, I was blown away by the organizers’ effort and the community’s response. This year, the event grew to a block party. Greene Street was closed from Simonton Street to Ann Street. A large tent in the middle of the street was filled with donated silent-auction items. Food spots like Chubbs and Wandering Rooster made sure everyone was well-fed, while Tattoos & Scars set up mini-bars around the event to keep people “hydrated.”
As I walked into the bar for some hydration of my own, the first thing I noticed was the sheer effort Tattoos & Scars put into setting up the event. Pink ribbon balloons for Breast Cancer Awareness Month covered the ceiling. There was even a “motorboat booth,” where attendees could raspberry away for a good cause and a donation, and a large stage was built into the bar for raffling off special items every 30 minutes.
On the mic for the raffle was Cali Roberts, executive director of Womankind — the nonprofit organization that provides high-quality family planning, prenatal and primary care throughout the Keys, and the beneficiary of the night’s fundraising.
Before reading a winning raffle number, Roberts said, “This year, everything you’re doing means so much to us because the government pretty much told us we are not essential, we are not needed, and they’re not supporting us anymore. The health department ended a 25-year contract with us this year. Everything raised at this event is what’s going to carry us through the year.”
Each of the fundraiser’s four years has raised more money for Womankind than the previous year. According to an Oct. 25 Facebook post, the Tats for Tatas raised $41,000 in 2022; $69,000 in 2023 and $148,000 in 2024.
“We are in disbelief,” Vinall and Gonzalez posted. “That’s hundreds of women helped … made possible by all of you. Every raffle ticket, every donation, every auction item, every sponsor, every volunteer hour added up to something so powerful. This number represents hope, healing and heart. It represents a community that shows up, gives bi, and proves time and again that together we can and do make a difference.”
As someone who had simply showed up, I felt the energy radiating from everyone around me. One event-goer, Jamie Barr, who was decked out in a signature pink checkered cardigan, wig and glittered mustache, summed it up nicely by saying, “It’s my first time, and I love it. It’s like Key West in a nutshell. You’ve got people dressed up, everybody’s smiling, having a good time, and plenty of sexual innuendos and jokes. We’re just happy to support a good cause.”
