29-Oct-07 2:00 PM  CST  

First Annual Fall Gala 

 
I am pleased to announce the first annual MKP Fall Gala, which we are co-hosting with
our sister organization, Woman Within. I am fortunate to be co-chairing the event with
my good friend Julie Boon and to be joined in service by a host of hard-working and
passionate people from both organizations. 
 
I want to be clear about my personal motivation in doing the event, and what it represents
to me and, in my observation, to others on the event committee. This gala will, I hope,
become an annual fundraising event. And while I make no apologies about organizations
like ours requiring funds so that we may provide a rich quality of service and an
environment that heals and draws people closer together, raising funds is not my main
focus. I believe that if we come from a different place, with a different mindset, that an
abundance of wealth will flow as a natural by-product of our efforts. Something gets lost,
in my judgment, when the focus is solely on money. In other words, while our committee
will clearly keep our eyes on the fundraising aspects of the event, our intention is so
much broader. For me, this is a great opportunity to set the foundation for long-term and
far reaching benefits. In my mind, we have a chance to set the wheels in motion for some
rich substantial underlying backdrops, such as creating a closer bond to our sister
organization, bringing attention to our communities to others outside our organizations
and adding to the growing positive energy bubbling up in our new community center.
 
Great thought went into everything the committee has done thus far. For example, we
deliberated for two months before selecting the theme for the event. We selected “The
Royal Ball, A Celebration of Kings and Queens” for several reasons. First of all, the
vision is to create an event that is fun and memorable, and perhaps even a little irreverent.
There are so many fundraising events in my murky past that seem to blend into each
other with no distinction between them. We want to create an event that builds on itself
year after year. A Royal Ball seemed to have so many possibilities for dress,
entertainment, food and decoration. New ideas continue to pour in for different twists on
this theme.
 
Events that seem to be really successful create a buzz and a following and anticipation for
“what will these people do next?” At the same time, we wanted to do something that was
in keeping with both organizations’ special appeal while not emphasizing one
organization over the other. “A Celebration of Kings and Queens” is an opportunity to
honor both communities’ use of archetypes as a way to keep sight of our larger value and
inner work. 
 
Another appeal for me is that there are so many ways for people to get involved or
volunteer. I have personally had so much richness added to my life through connections
made in service. I love to see what projects such as this one do to promote such
connections. To put it another way, in order to put on a successful vibrant, community-
building event such as this one we need a great deal of HELP! 
 
There is plenty of room for those interested to volunteer to be on committees for
entertainment, food, decorations, ticket sales, logistics and marketing. One of the largest
needs is around the auction. Our intention is to have both a live and a silent auction. We
are really hoping for both some great donations and people to recruit those donations. It
seems to me that for communities like ours who celebrate symbols, archetypes and
metaphors, the gift of an item of value is a great representation of love for the work we
do.
 
We also hope to have some generous sponsors step up to help underwrite the cost of
creating such an exciting opportunity and event. For information on any of these
opportunities to be helpful, I will happily take your calls at 713-667-8335.
 
The biggest need we have in my opinion though is simply your energy and attendance.
Tickets will be $60 if purchased before October 10th or $75 thereafter. Most events of the
kind we envision cost well over $100 per ticket. We are trying to keep it affordable so
everyone can attend.
 
So please join us. I encourage you to dress in fun Royal Ball costume or regalia, and that
is definitely not required. I invite you all to help make November 3, 2007 the first of
many fun and exciting annual Royal Balls.
 

 

Source: Eliot Rose

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