About 5 years ago, I attended my first fundraising gala. The idea seemed almost silly to me – let’s all get dressed up and go donate a bunch of money – something that in my mind we could have just done online and saved everyone the hassle. Then, I attended my first gala, and my view completely changed. There’s something electrifying about having hundreds of people gathered for one cause. One night celebrating all the organization has accomplished so far and where they are heading next.
This year, our beCAUSE minded team attended the Grow the Village Gala for Foster Village. This is the organization we give 100% of our net profits to. Foster Village provides practical support for foster children and the people that love them by connecting them with supplies, therapeutic resources, and connection. We love that the profits from our gifts that give back go to such a worthy cause.
As a foster mom myself, I have seen how critical Foster Village’s role is in helping foster parents navigate the challenges of foster parenting. With our first foster son, Foster Village helped connect us with other foster parents when we felt the burden was more than we could bear. When our time with our foster son was coming to an end, they helped the biological dad get set up to take custody of his son. They gave him a car seat, and other essential items he needed to get settled.
With our second foster child, we had about 90 minutes’ notice that we had a 2-day old baby girl coming straight from the hospital with just the clothes on her back. Before she arrived, we were fully set-up, having only received donations from Foster Village and neighbors. I had never in my life seen the love of complete strangers so tangibly.
Besides their work with beCAUSE minded, Noraliz and Jacquelyn have not really experienced what Foster Village does, so I was excited for them to learn more at the gala. Together we experienced laughter, cheering, and a few moments that brought us close to tears as former foster youth shared their stories.
They had silent auction items – like date nights, clothing, paintings, and more, and grand live-auction packages including a trip to the Virgin Islands and a 3-month-old puppy. If you were curious – the puppy went for $11,500. I think all of us at our table wanted that sweet boy! After the bidding wrapped up, they had a time for donations. It was heart-warming to see so many people financially commit to the dream of growing the village.
The gala produced a record-breaking $425,000. We are honored to be a part of this funding that will help equip new foster parents with much-needed supplies, support foster parents navigating the messy, but life-changing relationships with the child’s biological parents, and provide families with safe spaces for children who have incurred more trauma than most of us have as adults.
If you’ve never been to a gala, I recommend you go. In our hometown of Austin, there are galas for organizations supporting sex trafficking survivors, building clean water wells in developing countries, offering low-cost medical procedures for animals, and more. Find an organization with a cause you are passionate about and get connected. And when gala time comes around, get a fancy dress (or suit), find your table, and be ready to be part of a night that will change the world.
Quick poll: Have you ever attended a fundraising gala?
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