April-September: That Was Fun!
This spring Living Room is hosting That Was Fun! - a series of house parties and other privately hosted small events to raise funds for the Living Room. The series will be held between April and September and will include an array of events ranging from dinners and cocktail parties to family events and wine tastings.
View a complete listing of events below, and be sure to check the website frequently for newly added events! Click here to download the registration form.
An Evening in New Orleans Only 1 ticket left!
Saturday, August 21 @6:30-9PM - $50/Guest
Take a stroll down the bayou with us at this event where Creole cuisine prepared by native and chef for the evening Dwayne Clements will make you feel like you’ve just crossed the Louisiana border. Guests will enjoy an open beer and wine bar leading into a four-course dinner starting promptly at 7PM.Jump for Fun
Friday, August 27 @6-8PM - $35 Family of Four, $20 Parent/Child
Teach your children about the importance of giving while having
a jumpin’ good time at this family-friendly fundraiser hosted at
KangaZoom. Parents can shoot the breeze and enjoy
refreshments. Kids can have tons of fun with a clown and
face painting as they play for a purpose.
*Please note a $1.50 payment processing fee is added to each ticket purchase.
Registration closes one week prior to each event except for events where special RSVP is needed. Address and other event details will be sent with your purchase confirmation. Tickets may also be purchased by calling Deanna Mingo at
404-616-0441 or by mailing your registration form and payment to:
The Living Room, 341 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Atlanta GA 30308.
News
Support the Living Room Challenge Grant
An anonymous fund at the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has offered to double-match every new or increased gift made to the Living Room!
This means they will match …
Your $50 donation with an additional $100 …
Your $100 donation with an additional $200 …
Your $250 donation with an additional $500 …
And so on!
Help the Living Room by making a donation today. Click the donate button at the top of the page to make a new or increased donation and your gift will be eligible.
The Living Room Unveils A New Gala
The Living Room hosted its first Preview Party unveiling the new name and location of the annual fundraiser, this year’s theme and celebrity guests. The Living Room Gala has been renamed the Sapphire Ball and will be held Friday, September 24, 2010. This year, we are celebrating the Living Room’s 15th anniversary. The black tie optional event includes a cocktail reception, silent auction, dinner, and dessert reception; an excellent opportunity to enjoy a formal affair while celebrating a milestone in the life of the Living Room.
The Sapphire Ball will combine one of Atlanta’s most desirable and unique venues with the Living Room’s strongest supporters and most prominent leaders. For this reason, we are extremely excited to announce that this year’s Sapphire Ball will be held in the Lane Ballroom at the Commerce Club.
While the Commerce Club offers a sophisticated and elegant venue with fine dining, the Sapphire Ball Committee also chose the Commerce Club because it has traditionally focused on civic leadership, community development, and equality. Even more poignant for Atlantans, this will be one of the final events at the Commerce Club’s historic location, which plans to move to 191 Peachtree Street next year.
The Sapphire Ball will celebrate the Living Room’s 15th anniversary by offering a brief timeline in the program book, touching client testimonials, and toasts to our volunteer and staff leaders from our past 15 years.
The Sapphire Ball Committee has also secured two celebrity guests: Cedric Pendleton and Bart Hansard, who have both starred in a number of Tyler Perry’s television and film productions including House of Payne and Diary of a Mad Black Woman.
Table and single ticket purchases to the Sapphire may be made below:
Become a Table Captain at the 2010 Gala
Table Captains and Sponsors represent a key ingredient in the Sapphire Ball. Table captains either purchase a table seating eight for $1,000 and give tickets to friends, or they sell tickets to friends who will sit at their table. In either case, the Table Captain receives recognition in the program book, signage at their table, recognition on the floor plan, and complimentary VIP valet parking.
As an additional benefit this year, table captains will be able to select the location of their table from a venue floor plan! This guarantees that you get to sit at a table ideally located for you and your guests (perhaps near a the stag, a bar, or a quiet corner).
Sponsors are also crucially important in the event’s success. Sponsorships start at $1,000 (which includes a program book advertisement and signage on all printed materials), while sponsorships at the $2,000 level and above include a full table seating eight guests and additional benefits.
After the Preview Party, the Sapphire Ball is already 72% sold out. The Living Room will not begin selling individual tickets until July 1. This means the only ways to obtain a ticket are by (a) purchasing or coordinating a table; (b) receiving complimentary Cornerstone Society tickets; or (c) sponsoring the event. So please make your table commitment today.
Click here to view a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sheet for Table Captains that will answer many of your questions about this fun philanthropic opportunity.
If you are interested in being a table captain or sponsor please contact Dolph Goldenburg at dolph.goldenburg@livingroomatl.org or 404-616-7718 for more information.
Client Story
Moving Toward a Brighter Future:
A Father and Son’s Story
While the Living Room served Robert Hill for the first time this year, his journey here started in 1992 when he walked into the Fulton County Rehab Center tired of being homeless and wanting to get off of drugs.
While in rehab, Robert chose to be tested for HIV and discovered that he was positive. After being tested, Robert came to the Grady IDP Clinic where he first heard about the Living Room. Back then, he didn’t seek our help because he was single and felt the agency was for families.
But Robert is a fighter and a survivor. Without our help, Robert pieced his life back together. He secured a job at Wal-Mart, saved to buy a car, moved into housing, and even married a young woman, Teisha Evans. By 2000, he and Teisha had a son.
For nearly eight years, they enjoyed the life of a normal American family. In 2008, however, Teisha, who was also positive, died after a bout with pneumonia. She was
only 34.
After his wife’s death, Robert struggled to pay rent without Teisha’s second income. When he lost his job less than a year later, the now unemployed single parent living with HIV was unable to pay his rent. Robert was soon evicted and felt helpless watching their belongings get thrown out onto the sidewalk.
Despite his best efforts to avoid this, Robert was eventually forced to take his son to a shelter. He had rebuilt his life before, and he was determined to do it again. Read more.
Client Story: Living Room Staff Inspire Future Business Owner
Lamont came to the Living Room in 2004 at the suggestion of his physician. He was struggling to support his 14-year old son and pay rent at their home. He was working part-time but was forced to stop because of health complications caused by HIV.
At the Living Room, he met with Walteretta Collins, the coordinator of the long-term rental assistance program for families (TBRA). He was enrolled into the program and started receiving assistance with half of his rent. However, while on the program, his health gradually declined. He experienced frequent hospital stays, felt very weak, and was unable to work.
“Mrs. Collins showed me compassion and took my problems into consideration.” Because of his inability to work, the Living Room began paying the full amount of his rent.
But more and more, Lamont began to feel sorry for himself and couldn’t get motivated to change his situation. He made excuses for himself and for why he couldn’t face the world. He recalls how Mrs. Collins would persistently encourage him.
“She kept pushing me, redirecting me to get my life back and stop feeling sorry for myself.”
Over time, Lamont’s health started to improve. Because of Mrs. Collins encouragement, he began to look for work. He had previously worked in job training and coaching so he decided to seek contract work with the Department of Labor. And he was successful.
Today, Lamont owns a job counseling agency in Decatur. He works with businesses in the community and helps developmentally disabled persons find work. No longer on government assistance, he now makes his own living and supports himself. And he makes it his goal to empower other people the same way he was empowered by Mrs. Collins and the Living Room.
“People give a lot of excuses about why they can’t work. I was once just like them. I don’t give up on them. I follow up with them and try to encourage them.”
Click here to view the Summer 2010 Newsletter as a PDF.
