It's Personal - Annual Gala
On October 22, Pause hosted our first ever annual gala! We invited guests to experience Pause in a whole new way. Whether they walked into the gala supporting Pause for years or just learned about Pause last month, guests left feeling impacted, inspired and influenced.
The first stop guests made was the Pause Gallery where they were able to physically walk through visual representations of how Pause defines rest, support, connection and fun. Guests heard stories from families as they spoke about their experience prior to Pause using words like isolated, judged and misunderstood. Different vignettes signified key experiences including Family Conversations, Thrive Night, the Holiday Shoppe, Parent’s Night Out and key environments within our event space.
Upon exiting the gallery...
Guests were reminded that nationally 25% of families have a child at home with a developmental, medical, learning or mental health disability and were challenged to write down the name of someone they know - because it’s personal to all of us.
After enjoying a pasta dinner, exploring silent auction baskets, voting on table decorations and mingling with friends, guests took their seats and our Pause staff - deemed the “hype crew” - got the crowd… hyped! Melody Schurgast our Director of Family Strategy shared some family stories and helped to give context why it’s personal to us, to you and to the families that we serve.
Lisa McCoon, Pause Executive Director, shared, “Tonight we’re going to move from keynote to kitchen table. Kitchen tables are really symbolic at Pause. They represent our desire to invite families home to a broader Pause community. They represent all of the hours we have spent at this very kitchen table speaking to families, hearing their stories, hearing their wins, crying with them. But really, they represent for all of us that it’s personal. We all have a kitchen table. We all sit around it, we eat together, we share stories, we share community and so it really is personal to all of us."
Pause invited four professionals to join the kitchen table discussion. Our guests included:
Michael Albrecht, Pause Board member and Project LIFE & Project Search Supervisor
La Shanda Sugg, CEO and Founder of Labors of Love Counseling and Consulting, Therapist, Coach, Consultant, Trauma Specialist
Mary Vicaro, LPCC-S, Founder of Finding Hope Consulting and a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Supervisor, Certified Trauma Specialist
Ryan Buckingham, Pause Board Member, Pause Dad and Business Analytic Professional
After our table talk...
Guests enjoyed two incredible performances from the Encore Performing Arts Twinkling Stars dance team! Kristin McSwain, lead dance instructor at Encore Performing Arts, reached out to Pause three years ago asking to partner together to support Twinkling Stars, a traveling competition dance team made up of kiddos with extra needs. Three years ago Twinkling Stars had 4 dancers. Today the team has 14 talented dancers!
Following intermission, Dan McSwain, Pause Board President, took the stage to share ways he has been impacted by Pause and invited our guests to…
Open their eyes to see the world as a different place because when we open our eyes, it becomes personal to us.
Open their hands and get involved in their community because every volunteer and community partner has the capacity and potential to make a difference.
Open their wallets to be a part of the change for families and help to reach more kids and more families.
Leaving a Legacy...
Gala attendees raised over $40,000 - simply incredible for year one!
Their generosity will support families on their journey’s to create legacies for generations to come. Thank you to our gala guests for changing the trajectory of Pause families lives and for making it personal.
We aren’t done! If you would like to donate to Pause to keep the mission moving forward there are several ways to get involved. Visit our website to learn about becoming a monthly sustainer, giving memorial and tribute gifts, giving as a corporation, making a payroll contribution, asking your employer to match gifts and planning your estate.
This is CAN DO. This is COMMUNITY. This is YOUR SUPPORT.
