Home Start to Hold Annual “Blue Ribbon Gala”

Home Start, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to child abuse prevention and providing evidence-based family strengthening services, will be holding its annual Blue Ribbon Gala from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, April 29 at The US Grant Hotel, located at 326 Broadway in downtown San Diego. The year’s event will be a New Orleans-style jazz evening featuring powerful stories of lives changed, delicious food, music, dancing, and fun.

The Blue Ribbon Gala is San Diego’s premier fundraiser for child abuse prevention held in April, which is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This event raises critical dollars for Home Start to serve our community’s most vulnerable children, families, and individuals.

National Child Abuse Prevention Month recognizes the importance of families and communities working together to prevent child abuse and neglect. Home Start’s critical services protect children and parents affected by tragedies including homelessness, domestic violence, hunger, abuse and trauma.

Guests will enjoy a three-course dinner, live jazz entertainment, inspiring stories from families served, and dancing once again to the sounds of local band Full Strength. There will be many chances to bid on unique travel packages and specialty items during the live and silent auctions.

The evening will especially highlight the impact Home Start has on our community each year through its 7 core programs. Last year, the organization served over 17,000 families in San Diego and surrounding counties.

“Home Start’s Board of Directors and I are incredibly grateful for the many individuals, businesses, and foundations who support our most important fundraiser of the year,” Laura Tancredi-Baese, Home Start chief executive officer, said. “These critical funds will be transformed into life-changing services to help vulnerable local children, families, and individuals have brighter futures.”

To purchase tickets, visit https://home-start.org/gala/

St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center to Host 22nd Annual Morning Glory Brunch

St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center (SMSC), a nonprofit organization that serves individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, will hold its 22nd Annual Morning Glory Brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, April 29 at the organization’s main campus, located at 2119 E. Madison Avenue in El Cajon.

Morning Glory Brunch will feature a fun afternoon of tastings, live music, shopping, and opportunity drawings around SMSC’s campus and Sophie’s Organic Garden. Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy bites and sips from over 20 local restaurants, wineries, and breweries. There will also be a boutique shopping experience and Arts Alive by Jasmine Creek Florist, which will feature floral arrangements paired with and inspired by SMSC student art.

Guests will also experience SMSC’s signature Frog Race. The annual Frog Race will send up to 600 frogs down the Jr. Olympic-sized swimming pool, giving guests the chance to win $3,500 in cash prizes. Guests can participate in this fundraiser by purchasing plastic frogs to enter the race. Prices for race entry are $50 for a single frog, $100 for three frogs, $150 for a family of five frogs, $275 for a group of ten frogs, and $400 for an army of 15 frogs.

Proceeds from this event go towards funding SMSC’s garden and aquatics program. Sophie’s Organic Garden is a two-acre garden that provides training for approximately 60 students to learn propagation methods, plant seeds, and nurture growth. The gardens feature a full citrus orchard, vegetable and flower gardens, ornamental trees, and herbs. SMSC’s Aquatics center hosts Triton’s Swim Team, where members from the ages of eight to 75 years old to compete in a variety of local swim meets.

Tickets can be purchased online at MorningGloryBrunch.org. There are also various sponsorship opportunities available. Please email events@stmsc.org for more information.

St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center is a nonprofit organization that serves more than 400 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through nationally recognized, innovative programs. Its mission is to educate and empower individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to realize their full potential.