GUTS

GUTS is a friendly pumpkin carving competition created in 2008 by CRAFTED, a marketing agency in Charlotte, NC. The primary goal of this event is to unify the creative community in support of the kids who fight the real fight every day at Make-A-Wish.

The first GUTS venue was a small, nondescript parking lot on the edge of uptown Charlotte, while today it takes place down the street at the illustrious BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte, NC. The event is spreading across the country: there are now national GUTS events in over 10 cities across the country.

GUTS is open to local and regional creative professionals who want to test their pumpkin carving skills for the sake of raising money for the brave kids of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Money is raised through ticket sales, carver registration fees, sales of creatively carved pumpkins, food, drink, and merchandise sold at the event.

Since the inception of the Central and Western North Carolina chapter in 1985, the organization has granted over 4,000 wishes. The Charlotte chapter granted the wishes of over 320 children in 2017. Since the average wish cost is $6,000, the more money raised with GUTS, the more wishes can be granted. Last year, GUTS raised $48,000, which means the dreams of eight children came true.