06 Sep Moving Mountains Together 2021 – Gala Excitement and Recap
Since 2015, Children of Hope has hosted our Moving Mountains Together Gala. A biannual gala aimed to further share our ministry’s message while raising funds to keep providing a loving home in which our children can grow and thrive.
This year, our gala will take place on October 16. We are currently in the final stages of planning. Our venue, caterer, decor, theme, and the band are booked and ready to go. We are expecting approximately 225 guests to attend this year’s gala – a 20’s style, post-prohibition/COVID theme night. We will be having a silent auction, as well as a live auction, accompanied by a special appeal paddle raiser.
This year’s special appeal will be to raise funds for a new full-size passenger van for each of our homes. The vans are heavily relied upon for transporting smaller groups of children to and from school as well as during our off-site activities. Although our current vans have served us well throughout the years, they are old and starting to show major signs of wear and tear, making them unreliable.
In preparation for the event, our children are working on artwork projects that are included as auction items as well as creating gifts for the gala sponsors.
A Throwback to Last Year’s Thank You Event
Last year, we hosted our first Thank You event. Unlike our galas that are often formal and more polished, we gave our children and staff in each of our Kenya homes complete creative control and freedom to host and share their talents live with our US family.
This was the first event of its kind and the children spent lots of time practicing their dances, speeches, and songs. We’ve had amazing feedback from those who tuned in, so much so that it can become one of our annual events. It was incredible to see the staff and children live, something that a lot of our sponsors and donors don’t get a chance to witness very often. The rawness, laughter, and impromptu dancing at the event transported our viewers into experiencing what a celebration at our homes is really like.
Watch last year’s Thank You event here.
2019 Moving Mountains Together Gala
Two years ago, we hosted our third Moving Mountains Together Gala with the goal of raising funds to construct the Simba Boys cottage at our Kitalale Home. For those who have been following the progress of this build, we are happy to report that it is nearly completed, and we are currently in the final stages before moving day!
Our gala consisted of a lot of fun activities, with African drummers and an African-themed photo booth where our guests had the opportunity to dress up in beautiful African garb. The live auction part of the event was a great success with Reggie Rivers acting as our auctioneer.
Space is limited and seats are filling up fast, so if you’d like to be a part of the gala and help us spread Children of Hope’s mission, please contact Emily, our Director of Donor Relations for more information.
