fundraising Archives - Penn-Mar

Penn-Mar Human Services 31st Annual Gala Celebrates a Transcendent Past Year

nvenn — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 20:37:51 +0000

Nonprofit’s Cherished Fundraising Event Honors Those Who ‘Live Courageously’

Baltimore – On Saturday March 4, 2023, Penn-Mar Human Services, the region’s leading provider of services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), will welcome friends, supporters, and partners to its highly anticipated 31st annual Gala fundraiser, taking place at 6 p.m. at the Delta Hotels Marriot Hunt Valley.

Since 1992, the Gala has consistently been Penn-Mar’s most successful individual fundraising event, raising $629,000 in 2022 and attended by up to 600 people each year. The money is used to fund the group’s strategic programs and initiatives that advance and expand Penn-Mar’s services and growth opportunities, including the phenomenally successful Career Ladders program. Career Ladders provides ongoing certification and training to Penn-Mar’s indispensable Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and has resulted in a 79% retention rate for the DSPs who have fully participated in the program.

In many respects, 2022 was one of Penn-Mar’s most successful years ever and a true cause to celebrate. The past year saw the launch of the nonprofit’s largest and most ambitious fundraiser to date, the $7.5MM Building Bold Futures campaign. As of February 1, 2023, Penn-Mar has secured over 90% of the funds and the Gala will serve as the official end of the campaign. The Belonging Initiative was also launched in 2022, an intentional exploration of Penn-Mar’s culture and how they can continue to become a more inclusive organization from the inside out.

And perhaps most impressive is that 2022 was the strongest fiscal year in Penn-Mar’s 42-year history, a testament to the outreach and planning strategies enacted by the organization’s leadership team and board of directors.

“It’s a fantastic time for Penn-Mar and this year’s Gala is the perfect chance to reflect,” says Penn-Mar CEO Greg Miller. “So much of the success we have achieved, especially while enduring a pandemic, is because of the generosity of our partners and friends throughout the year and at the Gala. The kindness and unconditional support they continue to show Penn-Mar, and the IDD community, is both humbling and awe-inspiring.”

This year’s Gala will include many of the elements that have made it such a can’t-miss event including a raw oyster bar, casino gaming tables, dancing, live music from the band Black Tie, and the crowd favorites, the silent and live auctions. This year, the nation’s premier automobile auctioneers, Adcock Bros., will preside over the live auction, which will include some incredible items:

Bottle of Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 23-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Dinner at Wildcat Falls for Eight: A beautiful setting along the Susquehanna River in Wrightsville, Pa. An afternoon of hand-crafted cocktails and hors d’oeuvres followed by a gourmet dinner at a beautiful western motif home, amidst the backdrop of the stunning Wildcat Falls
A two-night villa stay at the beautiful Thorn Hill Winery in Lake County, Calif. for four, including a wine tasting and a private wine concierge for the duration of the trip
A stunning diamond ring featuring 92 white and pink diamonds, set in 18K white and rose gold
Four tickets to the 2023 Billy Joel-Stevie Nicks concert at M&T Bank Stadium

But many guests consider the highlight of the evening to be the presentation of the Distinguished Humanitarian Award, established to highlight specific individuals who have courageously dedicated their lives to community service and shown unwavering support for Penn-Mar’s ongoing mission. This year, Penn-Mar recognizes Morton F. Zifferer, Chairman and CEO of New Standard Corporation in York, Pa. and a 26-year member of Penn-Mar’s board of directors. A York native, Mort has served on the boards of many of the region’s art and humanitarian nonprofits including WITF public television, York College of Pennsylvania, and the Appell Performing Arts Center. Mort also helped found the Cultural Alliance of York County.

Guests will also celebrate Claudia Summerson, this year’s Impact Award recipient for volunteering. The award is given to a volunteer who has made extraordinary contributions in the past year, while promoting Penn-Mar’s mission and bringing exposure to the organization. Claudia’s daughter, Abbie, has been receiving support from Penn-Mar since 2007.

The Gala’s March date coincides perfectly with National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, which was established in 1987 by President Reagan. The timing is auspicious, as the Gala’s funds sustain Penn-Mar’s ongoing pledge to support men and women with IDD to always “Live Courageously”.

For additional details regarding sponsorships or ticketing, please contact Jackie Summers at 443-491-9660 or at jsummers@penn-mar.org.

About Penn-Mar Human Services

Penn-Mar Human Services is a nonprofit that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to Live Courageously, whether that’s securing a job, being an active member of their community, building independence, or developing new relationships. Penn-Mar accomplishes this by supporting people on their own unique personal journeys. Founded in 1981, Penn-Mar operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in northern Maryland and southern Pennsylvania. They support 500+ adults with disabilities daily through an array of customizable services.

www.penn-mar.org.

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“Building Bold Futures” Campaign Barreling Down the Home Stretch

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 16:03:52 +0000

By Gregory T. Miller, President and Chief Executive Officer, Penn-Mar Human Services | Chief Executive Officer, Penn-Mar Foundation

Gregory Miller
President/CEO Penn-Mar Human Services

When Kathy Rogers, Penn-Mar’s Chief Advancement Officer and I presented the idea of launching a major capital fundraising campaign in the midst of the pandemic to our Board of Directors, they were understandably skeptical of the timing. As we shared the vision of our campaign, that skepticism evolved quickly into very strong support. After researching what we believed was possible, their reaction when they heard that our fundraising goal was $7.5 million also evolved quickly from wondering if we were a bit too ambitious to asking, “how can we help?”

Yet less than two years later, our “Building Bold Futures Campaign” is nearing 90 percent of this audacious goal.

At stake is nothing less than the future of Penn-Mar Human Services. We need to ensure its growth and survival for the people we support today, and for those children born today who will need our services 18-21 years from now. With that as a guiding principle, the Campaign addresses key elements that government funding does not support but are necessary to secure the organization’s future.

Penn-Mar’s essential services rely on our ability to attract and retain a critical workforce of Direct Support Professionals (DSPs). Our nationally recognized Career Ladders Program for DSPs offers much-needed credentialing and performance-based incentive pay, funded through the growth of the Michael James Pitts Endowment.

To better enhance our service delivery and support our team members, we recently launched a “Belonging Initiative” to help our current and future workforce experience a gratifying career path. To improve the quality of life and increase independence for the people we support, there is a continuing need for accessible transportation vehicles and new technology.

Finally, the Campaign funds are earmarked for the completion of construction at our Far Hills site to greatly reduce the expense and challenges of running multiple locations, and to our General Endowment Fund that is used to support innovation and emerging needs that fall in line with our mission of supporting Courageous Living.

Personally, I have never been tasked with raising money to this degree, but I was well aware that as the primary leader for Penn-Mar I couldn’t approach folks asking for their generosity if I wasn’t prepared to step-up myself in a meaningful way.

My wife Terri and I have made a 5-year sacrificial pledge to support the Campaign and we have subsequently increased our donation. As a family, it is the largest pledge we have ever made to any cause. This investment in Penn-Mar was not as easy as just dashing out a check; it is a financial sacrifice for us. Yet we believe strongly in the impact this donation will have for the organization and feel fortunate that we are able to make the commitment.

Our board of directors, community partners and many of our team members have also stepped up in a big way in making sacrificial gifts to our campaign. We have done so, not seeking credit, but seeking the strongest future for Penn-Mar which affects lives each day.

A friend of mine working on a Church fundraiser says, “God shovels in and we shovel out and He has a bigger shovel!” I can’t top that line and while I’m not good at asking for money, I am good at sharing stories and encouraging people to invest in our future.

My satisfaction during this fundraising period has been about much more than the dollar amounts we’ve secured. It comes from being able to tell compelling stories that have created a contagious energy and excitement around our passion for our mission. It’s heartening to see so many people wanting to Live Courageously with us.

Our “Building Bold Futures Campaign” will culminate at the March Gala. Your donations, large and small, will help us meet our $7.5 million goal to successfully cross the finish line.

If you are a Year End Annual Appeal contributor, your donation will help us raise that additional $500,000 to meet our Campaign goal and strengthen our organization both now and in the future. 

We are grateful for whatever you can invest to help us make both of these fundraising initiatives a success.

From our family to yours, we wish you a Thanksgiving holiday filled with an abundance of happiness and good health!

For more information about Penn-Mar’s “Building Bold Futures Campaign,” visit https://buildingboldfutures.penn-mar.org/

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30th Anniversary Gala Back in the Ballroom

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 19:32:59 +0000

By Cheryl Barrows, Administrative Volunteer, Penn-Mar 30th Anniversary Gala

Some 20 years ago when our friends and Penn-Mar supporters Jill and Steve Golueke invited my husband and me to the Black Tie Gala, we could never have imagined how devoted we would become to the organization’s mission.

In the early years, I volunteered on the Auction Committee. I helped to procure a few items for the Silent Auction but as time went on it, was apparent that my greatest contribution to the cause was my organizational skills.

I am a detailed person at heart and Silent Auctions have a lot of moving parts. It is no exaggeration to say that volunteers spend 100s of hours gearing up for the event.

For the 30th Anniversary Gala held March 5th we began procuring auction items last summer. We don’t have to knock on doors anymore like we did in the early days. The Gala has become one of the premiere social events of the season, so more often than not we have people coming to us with donations.

By the fall we were working on the auction’s administration processes, and in February we were all-in, finalizing the auction items, writing the copy, and most challenging of all, uploading the photographs.

When it came to the technical challenges of posting the auction items, I was lucky to have a husband at home with a 40-year career in information technology.

Kevin’s knowledge and patience was invaluable to our work, especially when it came to uploading multiple images of each item to better showcase them for pre-event reviewing and bidding.

I’m delighted to report that this year’s Gala raised a whopping $625,000! This was an incredible achievement since our crowd was limited to 475 guests rather than the usual 600 because of lingering COVID concerns.

After holding a hybrid gathering last year via Zoom and outside under a tent at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Hunt Valley, many attendees commented on how happy they were to be back again, in-person, at this beloved annual event.

It truly was a memorable evening.

Penn-Mar publicly recognized Wendy and Anthony Gallo, whose son Mike continues to thrive at Penn-Mar. Wendy has served on the Gala committee for many years and for the past five years chaired the event. Anthony has held Board roles on the Penn-Mar Foundation and Penn-Mar Human Services Board and most recently served as Chair of the Foundation.

The Distinguished Humanitarian Award was presented to Julia Huggins, Senior Vice President of U.S. Markets for CIGNA and a Penn-Mar Board Member. Julia captivated the audience by sharing a personal childhood experience that led her to connect to Penn-Mar’s mission and advocate for people with disabilities. Her poignant comments and leadership underscored why she is such a deserving winner of this prestigious award.

The evening’s Special Appeal — where tens of thousands of dollars are raised in a matter of minutes — exceeded its $150,000 goal. Thanks to the generosity of the guests and an 11th hour pledge, the proceeds soared from $120,000 to over $165,000 with a last-minute anonymous pledge of $43,000. The Appeal supports Penn-Mar’s Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), funding its award-winning Career Ladders Program and emergency Care Fund.

It has been such a pleasure to see the Gala grow and prosper over the years and an honor to work under the leadership of Jackie Summers and Kollyne Wetzel.

On behalf of the Gala leadership, ambassadors, and volunteers, I extend heartfelt thanks to our honorees, sponsors, donors, and guests for what many are calling one of the best Penn-Mar Galas ever!

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