Banquet Week is the busiest and
biggest week for Care Net all year. Because it is our biggest fundraiser, it
requires all hands on deck, incredible flexibility, and lots of creativity. It
never fails that with all this, comes high stress, and supernatural attacks on
the families of those involved, including sickness, financial pressures, and
lots of last minute changes. This year was no exception.
Banquet night is the third Thursday of every March, like clockwork. We were planning for over 600
guests this year, with guest speaker, Dr. William Lile. Sure, we were battling
our typical colds and heavy stressloads, but things appeared to be otherwise seamless. This year, unlike previous years, the planning seemed to go smoothly – we
had new staff that we didn’t have last year, volunteers who we didn’t have
before, and so the workload seemed to be spread evenly. Cue: banquet week!
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| Actual photo from Dr. Lile waiting out the snowstorm in Philly |
Tuesday before banquet: We are
informed that our community has been the target of the next school shooting.
Chaos and pain ripple throughout our area as schools close, police and rescue teams are dispatched, news reports are
made, and families and neighborhoods rally together to support the victims and
each other.
Compounding the stress levels, the last (hopefully) winter storm
is upon us, and I have been notified that our guest speaker may not make it. He
is currently in Philly, headed to Florida tomorrow to conduct surgery, and
planned to fly back to MD Thursday morning. However, Philly is slated to get
even more snow than we are and airports are likely going to be shut down forcing flights to be rearranged to accommodate the impending weather.
Wednesday before banquet: The storm is here. Everything is closed. We are hit with approximately 6 inches
of snow and sleet and it is likely school will be closed tomorrow, too. Plans are
rearranged to accommodate not having our local high school students available
to serve our guests, as we figure out how operate with a 40 person shortage.
One of our key decorators finds out that she will not make the banquet as she
is being induced with her first pregnancy. Dr. Lile is snowed in at his hotel
in Philly. Having packed for only one day, he is now going on three days with
the same clothes (and for Florida weather!).
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| Photo of the banquet hall before and after guests arrived. |
Day of Banquet: The storm is
gone – and we are left with 6 inches of heavy snow. But the sun is out and the
temperature is rising. By mid-morning, the roads are cleared and school was
declared to only be on a 2 hour delay. This means that we will have our 40
student servers after all! Dr. Lile was able to rent a car and drive to our
venue in time. Out of the 615 tickets we sold, we had about 514 people show up,
which was a success considering that just one day prior, we weren’t sure anyone
would be able to leave their homes because of the weather.
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| Patrick, of Sunshine Caterers, who was unwavering in his commitment to this event. |
The evening was beautiful. The
weather was warm, and as people gathered to show their support for defending
life in our community, the atmosphere in the hall was electric. Through the
course of the evening, we paid tribute and respect for all those touched by the
tragedy of the shooting this week – our community lost 2 children as a result, with a
third child hospitalized for injuries. We also sought God for direction and favor as
we wait to hear the results of the SCOTUS hearing (ruling in June) that could change our right
to free speech and our ability to operate our Pregnancy Centers as we see fit
(more information here). And Dr. Lile reminded us just how critical the work is
that we do to save lives at its earliest stages. Defending life at Care Net is
about protecting all life – mothers, fathers, children, babies – at every stage,
and giving each life a chance to reach its potential. (Check out what clients
are saying about how Care Net has impacted them.)
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| Me, with Dr. William Lile, guest speaker |
During the banquet, I
challenged guests to take the next step in how they defend life, which looks
different for each person. Perhaps it’s a one time gift that God is calling
them to make. Maybe it’s deciding to become a monthly supporter so we can
depend on their financial contribution each month. Maybe God is calling them to
partner with us and volunteer their time. Or maybe God is calling them to do all
three.
Something amazing happened as a
result of this banquet. Despite the trauma of the week and the schedule mishaps
and confusion, people stepped up and answered the call. We even had one family
donate enough money to help us enlarge our Leonardtown Center, doubling the
space and the amount of people we can serve! We had numerous one-time gifts
from new supporters who caught the vision of what God is doing for this community through Care Net. And while we are still 80% to our
goal amount that we wanted to raise, it’s incredible to see the support from
the community that was raised in the midst of going through its own struggles
and pain.
What I learned this week: It can be easy to assume you
know the pain that another person feels because you are educated, or have seen
others in their distress. But until you walk in their shoes, until you
experience the same kinds of feelings, you will never truly know the extent of
their desperation. And at our banquet, our guests – our community – rose to the
occasion, giving out of their need in order to provide life and hope to those
who need it.
This is my community. This is my
home. This is my heart. I am proud to serve in a place that is full of grace
and hope, offering this lasting hope to anyone and everyone. What a privilege
it is to see God working in the lives of those around me and to know that I
have made a difference!
If you feel God calling you and
you want to be a part of the change happening in this area, call me! Or click
here to donate and leave a message for me!
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| #wearecarenet #wearesouthernmaryland #wearegreatmills |
