“Betting On Courage” gala marks record-breaking attendance and fundraising

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas - In an unprecedented successful year, the “Betting On Courage” gala attracted more than 450 attendees and raised over $285,000 for Children’s Safe Harbor.

Held April 10 at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, the event featured guest speaker Alice Cangemi, author of The Darkness Before Dawn. This year’s inaugural honoree for the Community Partner Excellence Award was The Becker Family Foundation. Gary Becker and Susan Becker received the award and were honored for their long-standing support of Children’s Safe Harbor since 2005.

Children’s Safe Harbor’s mission is to protect and enhance the life of every child who has the courage to battle sexual or severe physical abuse. As a nationally accredited children’s advocacy center, founded in 1998, Children’s Safe Harbor is part of a nationwide effort to heal childhood trauma and facilitate justice for sexually abused and assaulted children ages 2 through 17. Children's Safe Harbor advanced their collaborative justice work in 2009 through the creation of a co-located facility – minimizing the need for children to travel to multiple agencies in the pursuit of justice. In 2014, they served 1,053 sexually abused children.

“We are overjoyed with the success of this year’s event!” said Victoria Constance, PhD, Executive Director of Children’s Safe Harbor. “Thanks to the hard work of our gala co-chairs Mary Neskora and Sally Toppe and the gala committee, as well as our generous sponsors, guests and volunteers, we increased from 200 seats – raising $170,000 – to over 450 seats and raising over $285,000 in one year’s time!

“These funds will be dedicated to our capital campaign. We are currently involved in a feasibility study to determine the best site for a permanent home for Children’s Safe Harbor. In five short years we have outgrown our current 15,000 sq. ft. facility and cannot increase our services until we have more space. With new corporate sponsors and guests coming to this year’s gala, clearly the community is recognizing our work and cares about justice for sexually abused and traumatized children. We are grateful for this incredible level of support as we work toward breaking the cycle of abuse and trauma for the vulnerable young in our community.”

This year’s sponsors included: Champion ($20,000) – The Becker Family Foundation, CB&I; Platinum ($10,000) – Bakewell Family Charitable Fund, Manners/ Coole Foundation, Friends of Children’s Safe Harbor; Gold ($5,000) – Tom & Mary Adams Family, Anadarko Petroleum Corp., Greg & Robin Anderson Family, Arena Energy, Kevin & Debbie Fogarty Family, The Marion Franke Team, Cindy & Ken Irwin Family, Santini Family; Silver ($3,000) – Charbonneau Industries, Inc., First Bank of Conroe, Bryan & Mary Neskora Family, Dan & Teanna Neskora Family, Newpark Resources, Bruce & Karen Northcutt Family, San Jacinto County Child Welfare Board, Terry & Stephanie Sukalski Family, Touchpoint Health& Waterway Wealth Management, Woodforest National Bank; Westbound Bank; Crowl, Frank, Slaymaker & Smith Families; HOPE Table; Wendy Everett; Memorial Hermann Hospital System; Isaac & Donna Franke Family; Casino ($2,400) – Brian Ledbetter, Strike, Waste Connections; Framed Art ($1,500) – Tom & Faith Casperson Family, Keith Odom Family; Music ($1,000) – Randall & Ali May Family; VIP Jewelry Sponsor – Kendra Scott-The Woodlands; Premier Jewelry Sponsor – Dannini; Other Sponsors – Kroger, Aztec Events & Tents.

Heading this worthwhile charity event were chairpersons Mary Neskora and Sally Toppe, supported by committee members Susan Becker, Catherine Canavan, Dana Falloon, Donna Franke, Marion Franke, Andy Fry, Liz Grimm, Holly Gruy, Christine Guidot, Jennifer Lamkin, Carolyn Lee, Cindy Irwin, Ali May, Vicki McShan, Karen Northcutt, Stephanie Sukalski, Sharon Wade, Kelsi Walker, and Holly Wright.

Children’s Safe Harbor is a non-profit 501C(3) tax exempt organization. Their main office is located at 1519 Oddfellow Street, Conroe, TX. For more information visit their website: www.ChildrensSafeHarbor.org.