This year’s gala was monumental! The support and generosity of those who came was resounding. We are so thankful! Our prayer was that God would be glorified. We felt His hand on each special moment that night. This year we had nearly 400 people in attendance. We also had a lot of first-time guests. Many businesses and organizations bought entire tables and brought friends and colleagues. We loved having all of you and we hope you loved your take-home treat from Scarlet’s Bakery!
This year we exceeded our fundraising goal for the first time ever! The outcome of our silent auction was amazing, too! A new addition to the auction was original art work from the ladies in our program. They enjoyed working on their pieces in preparation for the gala and proudly stood by their work sharing about it with guests as they walked by. All of their pieces sold! Those proceeds will support art therapy in our Discipleship Program. Along with these ladies, many other individuals and businesses contributed items. Their generosity made the silent auction a success!
As the lights faded in the banquet hall, several of our ladies lit up the screen sharing about negative labels they were given in the past. Then they shared how they are now seen NOT for who they were but who they are in Christ. Each woman began professing powerful phrases such as “I am redeemed” and “I am beautiful.” At the end, they personally thanked all our supporters for helping Scarlet Hope continue its work. Then our favorite spoken word artist, David Bowden, took the stage to share his original poem titled “I Am.” This poem shared of the magnificence of who God is in our lives. Also guests could read stories at their tables from our women sharing the changes made in their lives. All this made for a powerful beginning to our program.
We were honored to have Lt. Governor Jenean Hampton this year. She spoke about her recent visit to Scarlet Hope and Scarlet’s Bakery. Her belief is that ministries like ours will turn the tide to a great future for the state of Kentucky. We are so thankful for her support! We also loved having Pastor Williams of Bates Memorial Baptist as our Emcee and Pastor Dave Stone of Southeast Christian Church ending our program by spurring everyone to donate to our ministry. Both of these ministers have been faithful supporters & teachers for Scarlet Hope for many years.
Our Executive Director was our main speaker and she shared the future vision for the ministry with everyone. This year, our goal is to expand our program of care and discipleship for women who’ve left the industry and expand our outreach to women still in the industry. Weekly outreach currently costs $500 a week. Caring for, discipling, and employing women who’ve left the industry costs around $30,000 per woman. We need people who will partner to ensure that the women who leave the industry and participate in our program achieve stability in life. We are seeking sponsorships for 10 women to begin in our discipleship job training program. Rachelle shared this need and other stories of women still in the industry who desperately seek a way out. Guests got a better picture of what it will take to continue this ministry and expand it. Many of them joyfully committed to partnering in this effort!
This night would not have been a success without our corporate sponsors and everyone who attended! We also had the help of many dedicated volunteers who set up the event and worked tirelessly throughout the night. As we reflect on this past weekend we are overwhelmed with gratitude. We are in awe of the generosity of our supporters. We are moved by the compassion. We praise God as He affirms His hand on this ministry and how He has called so many of you to stand with us for the issue of sexual exploitation and the restoration of women.
Please help us thank our event sponsors:
Bachman Auto Group
Tri-Arrows
Access Ventures
The Gates Group
The Selah Foundation
Norton Healthcare ERG
Atlas Companies
Okolona Christian Church
Way-FM
Kathy & Pete Boyer
Anonymous Donor
Thank you to these sponsors and to everyone of you who support us! We praise God for you. We can’t wait to see what the coming year holds!
Sincerely,
The Scarlet Hope Ministry
