My Gala

This past weekend was the annual Santa Barbara Gala for the AHA. It was a beautiful evening! It's been quite a whirlwind adventure because I typically have a fundraising director that raises the money and runs the entire event but this year was different, we were very short-staffed. My entire team pitched in and we pulled it off! We highlighted 20 survivors from our community that were affected by heart disease or stroke. The twist of the evening is they were all children. People don't realize that heart disease and stroke affect all of us! Infact, birth defects are the leading cause of non-accidental death in children - more children lose their lives to heart problems than all forms of childhood cancers combined. You'll see some pictures of the kids that we are honored - they are adorable! Kids with heart problems always amaze me because they are strong and full of life. You'd never even know they were fighting for their lives!

We made the gala lots of fun this year. When you walked into our reception area we had a beautiful survivor gallery, old-fashioned games (like Connect Four) on the cocktail tables, an old-fashioned digital photo booth, cartoonist, a phenomenal band comprised of 4 talented 16 year-olds, an opportunity drawing, and of course two bars.

When we opened the dinner area guests entered through a black curtain and as they walked in we had a talented A Capella group from UCSB performing, the lighting was bright red and we had red heart lights on the walls and a well put together power point streaming on two different screens. Our tables were set with amazing orchids and each guest received a CPR kit to help them learn the valuable life-saving skill. Our speakers were phenomenal and our band was great! After eating a divine dinner guests 'cut a rug' to the music of Area 51. It was a night to remember. I believe we brought in $160k net that evening to fight heart disease and stroke!

I hope you enjoy the pictures!