Dream Center of Baldwin County will host its 5th Annual Dream Big! Fundraiser Dinner on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m. at the Foley Civic Center.
The annual event brings together community members, local businesses and supporters for an evening dedicated to changing the lives of underserved youth throughout Baldwin County.
This Year’s Speaker
The guest speaker is author David Magee, who wrote “Dear William: A Father’s Memoir of Addiction, Recovery, Love and Loss.” Magee will share a message about addiction, recovery, family and hope.
Magee will also appear at Dorothy June Booksellers in Foley on Sept. 10 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for a book signing, giving people who cannot attend the dinner an opportunity to meet him.
What the Evening Includes
The event will feature fine dining, a silent auction and an opportunity to meet Dream Center participants and learn how the program works.
Meeting participants is the element that distinguishes this kind of fundraiser from a conventional charity dinner. Donors hear directly from the young people the program serves rather than only from staff describing the work in the abstract.
What the Program Provides
The Dream Center provides youth with mentorship, education, life skills, prevention programming, case management, transportation and workforce-readiness opportunities.
The inclusion of transportation on that list is easy to overlook and central in practice. In a county the size of Baldwin, with limited public transit, a young person without a reliable ride cannot attend a program regardless of how much they want to. Programs that solve transportation reach participants that programs without it never see.
Case management and workforce readiness represent the other end of the model — the follow-through that connects a young person to a job or a next step rather than ending the relationship when a program cycle closes.
The Director’s Message
“Our young people need to know that their past does not have to determine their future,” said Felicia Chesmer, Dream Center director.
“So many of the youth who come through our doors simply need someone to believe in them, hold them accountable and give them an opportunity to see that their lives can be different. This fundraiser allows our community to be part of making that possible.”
Where the Money Goes
Funds raised will help the center expand services for youth and families throughout Baldwin County. Sponsorship opportunities are also available for businesses that want to support the event beyond ticket purchases.
A Contribution From ReSale Heaven
Volunteers with ReSale Heaven Thrift Store recently made a significant contribution to help the Dream Center further its work with underserved youth throughout Baldwin County.
ReSale Heaven is a completely volunteer organization formed as a community outreach of Gulf Shores Methodist Church in 2015. It is located at 1720 Gulf Shores Pkwy., next to Publix, and can be reached at 251-968-2337. The store is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
An all-volunteer thrift operation converting donated goods into direct funding for a youth program is a compounding form of community support — donors give items, volunteers give time, and the proceeds reach a program serving local young people without passing through overhead.
Attending
Those interested in attending the Sept. 10 dinner or in sponsorship opportunities should contact the Dream Center of Baldwin County.