Gladewaves had an incredible, wonderful, amazing, marvelous holiday season! Let me tell you all about it!
It all started on Thanksgiving day when hosted our annual Thanksgiving Day meal along with our partner Church of the Annunciation. The luncheon was a HUGE success again this year! (Thanks to the many people who came out and volunteered.) We were able to serve over 180 people on the front lawn of the church and had enough left over to serve 75 more meals under the Claiborne Avenue overpass. In total, we gave away over 200 meals and 200 backpacks filled with daily living necessities to everyone who joined us. This year we also added a coat drive and were able to give away over 100 coats during the Thanksgiving meal! At the end of the day, all 40 volunteers sat down together for a well deserved Feast! Needless to say, with perfect weather, lots of meals served, new friends made, and coats and backpacks were given away not to mention the amazing camaraderie of the day we all felt that we had much to be thankful for.
Moving on, Saturday, December 1st, Gladewaves hosted our first ever fundraiser; “Music of the Night.” Oh, what a night it was! Tim Laughlin started things off with the swinging sounds of his clarinet for the patron party. Guest mingled while dining on delectable hors d’ oeuvres and drinking cranberry cosmopolitans. After Tim’s set everyone moved downstairs to the buffet provided by Brett’s Jambalaya Company, Katie’s Restaurant, Larkin Selman Catering, and Sucre. Cut to order beef tenderloin, shrimp pasta, spinach souffle, chicken and artichoke rolls, white chocolate bread pudding and macaroons were just a few of the delectables on hand. The outdoor stage was surrounded by white linen covered tables aglow with vases and candles provided by Old.New.Blue and piano player extraordinaire Joe Krown played a toe-tapping, shoulder swaying set. The cocktails flowed throughout the evening, the raffle tickets ($50 for an arm's length) sold like hotcakes, the food was bountiful and delicious and the weather was perfect! What more could we have asked for? Then Meryl Zimmerman took the stage and lit the place up with hips swaying, honey grabbing, singing along set. The perfect end to a perfect evening! The best news is that somehow in the midst of all this merrimaking Gladewaves managed to raise over $18,000 for our 2019 programs!
As December moved on, Gladewaves was able to do a HandUp for a single mother and her twin children just in time for Christmas. This young mother had fallen on hard times and had been living with her two children in their car for over a year. Luck finally intervened and the family was able to get into a transitional housing program, which they completed just in time to move into their very own home for Christmas. Gladewaves was able to provide a fully furnished kitchen and bathroom as well as brand new bedding for Mom and her two young children. We even snuck in some gifts from Santa! Our HandUp program is one of the most rewarding things that we do here at Gladewaves. Being able to help a family get started on the right foot in their new home is a blessing not just for them, but also for us. It reminds us of how fortunate we are to have homes of our own and how blessed we are to be able to serve others. Sometimes all you need to move forward is a HandUp, and Gladewaves is happy to give you one!
Janie, Bayley, David and Mark and all of the Board of Directors here at Gladewaves would like to thank everyone who came out on their Thanksgiving day to help us and Church of the Annunciation put on a great dinner. We would also like to thank all those who donated food and auction/raffle items, those who helped set up and put together the entire fundraiser, the event staff, and all those who came to help and support Gladewaves. Knowing you believe in us as much as we believe in our mission keeps us going throughout the year.
May your year be filled with love, laughter, good fortune and all the blessings life has to offer.