This weekend, a lot of people are coming together to help a special nonprofit in a very special way.<\/p>\n
The charity is New Hope for Kids<\/a>, a Maitland group that helps children who\u2019ve lost their parents, siblings and other loved ones to accidents, murder, suicide and disease.<\/p>\n The group\u2019s mission is rooted in tragedy, yet focused on transformation. It provides counseling and grief-support services to both the kids and the parents, letting them know that they aren\u2019t alone and helping them find ways to cope, live and even thrive in their new, unwelcome normal.<\/p>\n And on Saturday night, I\u2019ll help host a fundraising gala for the group. That part\u2019s not unusual. Hundreds of worthy nonprofits stage fundraisers every year.<\/p>\n What makes this event unique is that every single facet of this fancy fundraiser has been donated by a coalition of event-planning companies. These are companies that usually get paid for their services. But last year, they decided to start something new \u2014 uniting to give one lucky nonprofit everything free of charge, allowing the charity to earn far more from its fundraiser because all the upfront costs had been paid in advance.<\/p>\n They call it the Goodness Gala<\/a>. And when I say they donate everything, I mean it. Dinner and appetizers. An open bar.\u00a0 The venue itself \u2014 a rooftop banquet room and patio overlooking downtown Orlando. And it doesn\u2019t stop there. There\u2019s also a donated DJ, photography services, printed programs, sound and lighting systems \u2014 everything down to the tables and the floral arrangements that will top them.<\/p>\n All told, it\u2019s a package worth $100,000 that 36 local charities applied to receive. This year, New Hope was the winner.<\/p>\n New Hope CEO Brian Clark said being selected was a big deal for a group that has done this work for 30 years and yet is still unknown by many families who need the services. \u201cWe just want to bring some joy and hope to children and families when they need it most,\u201d he said. \u201cThis gives us an opportunity to share who we are and what we do with people who may not know.\u201d<\/p>\n New Hope is just what grieving kids need<\/a><\/p>\n The Goodness Gala is the brainchild of Sean Hughes, CEO of aVenue Event Group, an event-planning agency that also owns The Balcony where the gala is held.<\/p>\n Hughes said companies in the event-planning business like the work they do. But they also sympathize with charities that have to spend big bucks \u2014 and sometimes as much as a year planning \u2014 to pull them off.\u00a0\u201cSo we thought it would be really cool to not just discount things here or there,\u201d he said, \u201cbut put together a full donated event.\u201d<\/p>\n Hughes said it was inspiring and surprisingly easy to find so many local companies eager to join.<\/p>\n They\u2019re companies like TableTop Catering, whose owner James Marino said he was moved by New Kids\u2019 mission. \u201cIt\u2019s something you don\u2019t even think of \u2014 kids losing their parents,\u201d Marino said. \u201cI mean, you see it on TV and the movies. But this is happening here. And to learn that there\u2019s a group helping them, well it was an enlightenment.\u201d<\/p>\n Like many companies, Marino\u2019s says his company has made philanthropy part of its core mission\u00a0 \u2014 \u201cto do right by our community,\u201d as he puts it. But it\u2019s sometimes tough to find the right recipient. So Hughes helped set up a formal application process, working with the Central Florida Foundation<\/a>, which provides guidance to local philanthropists and charitable foundations.<\/p>\n Last year, about two dozen nonprofits applied to be the beneficiary of the first annual Goodness Gala, which supported NextStep Orlando<\/a>, an organization that specializes in providing \u201chope and recovery for people living with paralysis.\u201d<\/p>\n Most of the groups that apply are worthy. In fact, Hughes said many of his fellow donors get so moved, \u201cWe have to put tissue boxes out when we do this.\u201d<\/p>\n But New Hope\u2019s mission particularly resonated with the donor partners \u2014 Orlando Marquee & Decor, Go To Event Rentals, iRock Your Party, Bellamore Studio, Faux Real Flowers, On Top Printing and Printed for Light.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to understand why. I first connected with New Hope 16 years ago when I sat in a circle with a bunch of grade-school-aged children, most of whom had lost a parent.<\/p>\n Their stories were heartbreaking. About Mom waking them up in the middle of the night to tell them that Daddy was gone. About how much they miss everyday things like playing board games. One little boy talked about how much it hurt when other kids asked him why he no longer had a mommy.<\/p>\n I found myself choking up. But the other children in the circle looked at him with knowing eyes. They understood and became his support system, even if they didn\u2019t realize it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is magical to witness the lift that happens when dark becomes light,\u201d said Gloria Capozzi, New Hope\u2019s director of community outreach.<\/p>\n So on Saturday night, when supporters file into The Balcony\u2019s rooftop venue, they will know that every dollar they donate will go directly toward that mission.<\/p>\n Then, on Oct. 1, all the donor companies that made this year\u2019s Goodness Gala happen will start the process all over again, accepting applications for 2027 with Hughes saying: \u201cWe want to make a serious impact.\u201d<\/p>\n For more information on the Goodness Gala, visit goodnessgala.org<\/a><\/p>\n