Anticipating the Hope Gala: A Celebration of Brighter Futures
Calvary Women’s Services is welcoming spring with the highly anticipated annual Hope Gala on April 25th, 2024. Together with community leaders, dedicated supporters, and businesses, we’ll unite to celebrate women who are working to overcome their homelessness for good.
As our cornerstone fundraising event, the Hope Gala is an incredible evening of inspiration, filled with uplifting stories from Calvary supporters and the women we serve. This one-night event will take place at The Schuyler at the Hamilton Hotel, a District landmark on the National Register of Historic Places.
Guests will have the opportunity to bid on incredible items and unique packages during the exciting live and silent auctions throughout the evening. First, enjoy a spectacular cocktail reception and mingle with like-minded community members while bidding on exclusive items during our silent auction. Then, you’ll have an opportunity to learn about the profound impact that Calvary has made over the past four decades, enjoy a delicious seated dinner, hear uplifting stories from the women in our programs, and participate in our animated live auction.
Each year, Calvary recognizes one corporate partners who has had a significant impact on our programs with the Partner of the Year Award. We are excited to announce that this year’s award will honor our corporate partner, Aura Cacia. Since 2020, Aura Cacia’s Positive Change Project has provided more than $100,000 in grants and in-kind donations to support women in our programs, emphasizing their thoughtful and unwavering dedication to our mission to end women’s homelessness for good.
Calvary Women’s Services is pleased to announce Anthony G. Brown, Maryland Attorney General, and Kenyan McDuffie, At-Large DC Councilmember, as Special Guests of the 2024 Hope Gala! We look forward to welcoming them to this momentous celebration of hope, community, and four decades of women working to end their homelessness for good.
The highlight of the evening will be hearing from a woman who has used Calvary’s housing, health, education, and employment programs to transform her life and end her homelessness for good. During last year’s Hope Gala, Barbie Jackson shared her personal experience in our programs. She recounted how Calvary empowered her to be independent and thrive. She spoke of her success, saying, “At the end of my time with Calvary, I was able to take over my lease and the full payments on my apartment. I felt independent again!”
Later in the evening, a leader who has shown unwavering dedication to improving the lives of women will be presented with the Hope Award. The award, which has been presented annually since the early 2000s, features a unique piece of artwork or poetry created by women in Calvary’s programs and reflects the evening’s theme of hope. Past recipients include activist Dolores Huerta, co-founder of BET Sheila C. Johnson, journalist Katie Couric, and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.
The success of this annual celebration is more important than ever before as we work together to Restore Hope in the aftermath of the an explosion next door to our main program site.
We hope you and your loved ones will join Calvary at this year’s Hope Gala to reflect on our 40-year history, celebrate women’s achievements, and envision all of the possibilities which lie ahead! You can purchase your tickets and learn more about this event here.