By Katie Saltz

This weekend in Lexington, that Jack and Coke in your hand could help benefit cancer research.

Happy Hour for Humanity, a Kentucky non-profit organization, will host a block party on South Limestone Friday to raise money for the Huntsman Cancer Institute and the Ronald McDonald House.

Tickets are $5 in advance and provide access to Two Keys Tavern, the Tin Roof and the Paddock all throughout the night. Tickets purchased at the door are $10 and only provide access to that one bar.

Rock Daniels, a realtor in Lexington and the founder of Happy Hour for Humanity, said his organization plans fundraising events each month. When approached by a group of UK students wanting to plan a fundraiser, he said he was happy to help. Since he is a friend of many bar owners in town, he decided a block party was the way to go.

“I wanted to have a block party because I thought that it would be close enough to UK to get a lot of people involved,” Daniels said. “The main reason that I wanted to throw a block party is because last year the city told me that I would not be able to throw one on a major street.  This year they closed the street down for me.”

Happy Hour for Humanity formed when Daniels and close friend Andrea Branchini were sitting at the Chevy Chase Starbucks discussing an earthquake in Italy. They decided to host a happy hour at the Tin Roof to raise money for the disaster, and raised almost $3,000.

Since then, Daniels has hosted events for UK Childrens Hospital, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Women Leading KY scholarship fund, Susan G. Komen and The Rich Brooks Foundation.

Accounting graduate student Thomas Carver had worked with fundraisers for the Huntsman Cancer Institute in the past. When he heard from a friend about Daniel’s organization, he rounded up a few friends and asked Daniels to help plan an event to get students involved.

Meghan Darst, a Spanish and marketing junior, was one of the students involved with ticket sales. Darst said as of Thursday afternoon, they had sold about 1,000 tickets and had a few hundred left. Darst said she expects a good turnout since some of the most popular campus bars are participating.

“Two Keys and the Paddock are two popular bars for Friday nights, so you might as well come out this time for charity,” she said. “You can feel good about going out.”

In addition to the bars, Pita Pit and Bunk’s Burgers will also be participating Friday night. Daniels said students should expect good music, food, drink specials, giveaways and networking opportunities.

“ … you are going to go out anyway,” Daniels said. “You might as well go out, have a good time and help someone in the process.”

While Daniels said it is an opportunity for the bars on the closed off street to acquire business, the bars donate the money from the tickets and 10 percent of all sales as well. One hundred percent of the proceeds go to charity, he said.

Tickets can be purchased all day up until the event. Darst said she will be set up in the W.T. Young Library entrance Friday. For information on how to buy tickets, visit the event’s Facebook page at (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=147169972015).