NORTH HAVEN, CT (WFSB) -
A Massachusetts man is raising his glass across Connecticut to help a great cause.
Todd Ruggere is on a mission to drink a beer in all 169 towns in the state to raise money for cancer research.
Ruggere, who is from Grafton, MA, had great success bar-hopping in his native Massachusetts and raised more than $40,000.
"The biggest amount was my 147th town in Massachusetts which was Lunenberg. We raised $7,000," Ruggere said. "The bar owner got a whole bunch of donations, so we had raffles and silent auctions and raised $7,000."
Ruggere said he is now bringing his efforts to Connecticut.
Ruggere said he started his Connecticut campaign last weekend to raise money for the Smilo Cancer Center at Yale Children's Hospital. His first beer was in Stratford. He then raised $1,200 in Berlin before stopping Sunday at the Iron Horse in North Haven.
"The biggest thing, I can't believe how many people are affected by cancer. It's every single person. People come up to me in bars and say 'Hey, I heard what you're doing. I came here to say hi.' The other thing, how generous people are," Ruggere said. "I have specific days for a lot of these towns and what I always tell everyone is if anyone wants to help or has a good suggestion just reach out to me."
In some dry towns in Massachusetts, he had to improvise.
"I had a beer at a farm with a llama. I had a beer with a donkey," Ruggere said. "That's what makes the whole thing fun, when you go to these towns that don't have anything you have to do something really unique."
Ruggere said he is considering reaching out to other neighbors such as the Ocean State, which is the smallest in United States.
"Well Rhode Island is only 39 towns, so I could literally do that in a weekend," Ruggere said.
To follow Ruggere's journey, visit his website or on his Facebook page.
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