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HOW YOU CAN HELP
Hope Gala
Learn more about Hope Partnership as it hosts its 1st annual Hope Gala Fundraiser.
By Alexis George
Hope Partnership is hosting its 1st Annual Hope Gala Fundraiser at Westgate Vacation Villas Resort on Oct.29. Prepare to enjoy dinner, cocktails, a casino, silent auction, and much more at this Roaring Twenties-themed Gala. Marketing and Events Coordinator Drew Pinney says the team at Hope Partnership is very excited for the event.
“This is going to be our first formal gala benefitting those experiencing homelessness and poverty in Central Florida,” says Pinney. “The last big event we held was in the beginning of 2020 right before the pandemic kicked off, so we’ve been trying to find ways to fundraise.”
Over the last nine years, Hope Partnership and its entities have served over 100,000 individuals. Rev. Mary Lee Downey, CEO of the Hope Partnership, says it was important to start the non-profit to close the gap in services for people experiencing homelessness and poverty.
“Personally, I’m a pastor and so doing the work of caring for people in my neighborhood and community is important to me. I also experienced a lot of situations growing up where I wish there were organizations like Hope Partnership that could have helped me and my family,” Downey says. “So, I’m giving back to the world what I wish had been around when I was a kid.”
By focusing on rapid rehousing and Permanent Supportive Housing, Hope Partnership provides a holistic continuum of care.
“We’re looking at systemic and community change and so we need good investors and good partners to do that work with us. Having a gala like this gives us an opportunity to share our story and hopefully get people engaged and wanting to be financial contributors and volunteers to help change our community together,” Downey says.
While homelessness and poverty are hard topics to discuss, Hope Partnership is looking to bring fun to the event and get people excited about the future. In this future, the organization hopes to become a developer of affordable housing.
“Living in a post-pandemic world, we don’t know what the next five years will bring. But we know that we want to be the organization that is leading the way in making sure that we are addressing not just individual barriers but also systemic barriers in our community. Right now, a big one for me is attainable and affordable housing,” Downey says.
She adds that as Hope Partnership continues to engage with the community and support those in need, that there are a plethora of ways in which the organization intends to fulfill its mission.
“The most important thing for people to remember is that at Hope Partnership we believe everyone deserves a safe place to call home and that it takes many different pathways to get people to a safe place to call home,” Downey says. “No story is the same and no pathway to housing is the same.”
To learn more about Hope Partnership and the Hope Gala visit www.thehopepartnership.org/
