Nonprofit Galas Go Virtual, Hoping Supporters Follow Online

The date hasn’t changed, but that’s about all that is the same.  Major fundraising events for area nonprofits have gone back to the drawing board to quickly reinvent their galas, rather than postpone to an uncertain future.  Three nonprofits – Ability Beyond, Best Buddies and the Hartford Symphony – are actively spreading the word, and hoping that traditional supporters, and some who may be new to the cause, respond to this year’s unique circumstances.

Each year, Ability Beyond relies on the proceeds from its elegant black-tie gala to provide a hopeful future for more than 3,000 individuals with disabilities served by the nonprofit organization. Due to this year’s unprecedented pandemic, the “2020 and Beyond” Gala has been reinvented as the “No Go Gala”. The newly designed virtual fundraiser will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2020 via a livestream webcast from 6 to 7 p.m.

Donations are now being accepted and strongly encouraged – even prior to the event. By logging onto www.AbilityBeyond.GiveSmart.com, attendees can purchase a virtual ticket for $250, a table for $2,500, as well as contribute to numerous “Lend a Hand” levels.

Ability Beyond is a 501c(3) organization headquartered in Bethel, CT and Chappaqua, NY. It provides a wide range of services for individuals with a disability that inhibits their activities of daily living -- including numerous residential alternatives, employment training, career counseling, job placement services, cognitive and life skills instruction, clinical and therapeutic support, and volunteer and recreational activities.

The Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s major annual fundraiser was to be “Ignite Joy” on May 2.  Instead, the organization will be attempting to raise money virtually, with an online event dubbed “Reimagine Joy,” with the goal of supporting the HSO and the orchestra’s musicians.

The HSO is urging supporters to “tune in on Saturday, May 2nd for a livestream featuring new performances by Hartford Symphony Orchestra musicians.”  The virtual gala is free and open to the public.  Online, of course.

The event website explains “Each year, our Gala raises critical funds for our education and community engagement programs, and this year, there is an added imperative: we urgently need funds to support our musicians. These talented artists are working with us to develop new online learning tools to engage students, teachers, seniors and families, now and in the future.”

The HSO online auction will open at 12PM on Monday, April 20, and a link to the Virtual Gala will open at 7PM on Saturday, May 2.  The event co-chairs are Jennifer DiBella and Gerard Lupacchino, leading a committee of 24 community members. 

The mission of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra is to “enrich lives and community through great music. Marking its 76th season in 2019-2020, the HSO is Connecticut’s premier musical organization, the second largest orchestra in New England, and widely recognized as one of America’s leading regional orchestras,” the website points out.  Carolyn Kuan has led as music director since 2011; she is the first woman and youngest person to hold the title at the HSO.

The Best Buddies team in Connecticut has also made the decision to host the organization’s Champion of the Year event virtually on Thursday, May 7. They will “celebrate each other’s accomplishments, highlight our mission, honor the Champions’ collective impact, and name the 2020 Champion of the Year,” organizers explained in an email this week.

Best Buddies is the world’s largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of the 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The Best Buddies mission is to bring people together and create a more inclusive world through the power of one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development.  

Champion of the Year is an event where dynamic community leaders engage in an eight week fundraising competition to earn the Best Buddies “Champion of the Year” title.  This year’s Champions – fifteen community volunteers – have been hard at work raising funds to support the organization’s efforts.  This year’s contenders for Champion of the Year include Maired Aiken, Connor Dapp, Brooklyn Geida, Ella Makowski, Brooklyn Mastracchio, Amy Davies, Dan Blackwood, Danielle Trusch, Willis Gee, Mark Boxer, Matthew Busey, Peter Ramsay, Angelo Santiago, Spencer Cain and Stephanie Berman

Leading up to the virtual event, Best Buddies will host an online auction beginning on Monday, May 4 and closing on Thursday, May 7, the link will be posted on the Best Buddies Connecticut event website.