love always wins.

Last Friday, Catholic Charities and 750 of our friends and supporters packed the Davenport Grand for our 11th annual Catholic Charities Gala! We were grateful for the opportunity to celebrate and remind you that YOU ARE THE MIRACLE in the lives of the 70,000 client we serve each year.

If you weren’t able to join us, save the date for our upcoming events, Dig In on August 22 or Caring for Kids on October 10. And here’s a recap of the evening!

The Gala gave us a positive vision for the future.

We saw a vision of Eastern Washington where community gathers and miracles happen every day.

The entrance hall buzzed with old friends greeting each other and catching up on the latest news. In the dining room, balloon centerpieces floated like clouds and spotlights twinkled on the ceiling like stars, transporting guests to the nighttime sky. This was a perfect place to celebrate the Gala’s lofty purpose — celebrating successes and casting a positive vision for the future.

Guests certainly felt elevated! There was a standing ovation for the Volunteer of the Year, Floyd “Poppy” Lee; cheers for the Donna Hanson Award recipient, Sharon Stadelman; and raucous shouts for the Bishop’s Medal recipients, Lori and John Moloney.

And at the end of the evening, when the lights came down and the balloons glowed, guests shined flashlights, illustrating the light we can create when we work together. As we move forward from Gala, may we all continue to shine our light on the vulnerable in our community and the future we glimpsed that evening!

The entertainment at this year’s Gala was a perfect mix of pleasant and poignant.

Guests arrived to the energetic jazz of the Hot Club of Spokane. The local ensemble set the evening’s festive tone, and when the program ended, the band returned to the stage to help the crowd dance the evening away.

The emotional peak of the night came when local actors presented dramatic accounts of two real Catholic Charities clients, RJ and Cicelia. The actors portrayed the transformation the clients’ experienced because of their hard work in Catholic Charities programs. The stories provided proof for Rob McCann’s declaration in his Catholic Charities update that “love always wins.”

Throughout the evening, eager Gala-goers packed the Oh Shoot Photo Booth room just off the entrance hall to memorialize their evening with a fun and shareable snapshot. Couples, groups of friends and more than a few staff members picked through tables spread with cartoon signs, costume pieces, hats and masks that helped create a picture-perfect memento!

There were no excuses for leaving Gala hungry!

During the social hour, guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and local beverages.

Dinner offered a chance to test wine pairings. An Arbor Crest white with the prosciutto-wrapped salmon, or an Arbor Crest red with the petit beef filet?

The biggest challenge of the night was leaving room for dessert, a choice of vanilla bean spongecake with marionberry coulis or a chocolate dome filled with chocolate mousse!

Thank you to all our sponsors and attendees!

The Gala, and Catholic Charities, would not be able to make the impact it does without your support. We look forward to seeing you at our next events!