SOS and the Emporia community came together to celebrate ten years of hope inside the Bowyer Community Building Friday night.
The tenth annual SOS Hope-A-Palooza was a rousing success highlighted by a sell-out crowd. SOS Director Connie Cahoone says over the past decade not only has the turnout for the event, and the agency, grown significantly, but so to has the level of investment from the local community.
This year’s honorary Hope-A-Palooza chairs were Rick and Colleen Mitchell. As longtime supporters of SOS, Colleen Mitchell says being named the honorary chairs of the event was a humbling honor.
Rick Mitchell tells KVOE News that while the need for an agency such as SOS is “sad” you could not ask for a better group of individuals to serve those in need.
In addition to dinner, music and a live and silent auction the evening also featured several carnival-style games reflecting the event’s theme of “hope under the big top.” SOS staff also took the time to recognize the participants in the second annual Heroes for Hope Campaign which raised just over $39,000 this year as well as several award recipients.
Friday’s event brought in a preliminary total of just over $56,500 with all proceeds going to support SOS services and programs throughout the year. The funds generated Friday night and earlier this month come during a time when the agency is seeing a decrease in grant funding over the next year.
Final totals from Hope-A-Palooza are currently pending.
Photos by Tagan Trahoon/KVOE News
