It is March 21, 2025, the morning of the United Way of Sumner County Gala.
Less than nine hours before guests are scheduled to arrive, a small, tight-knit group of women wearing sweat pants, jeans, T-shirts, and a baseball cap or two, descends upon the venue, a grand dining hall at Live! Hendersonville.
This energetic team scatters across the cavernous room with the supplies they need to transform this beautiful blank canvas into a colorful, vibrant Derby-inspired Gala – specifically, Gala United: A Night at the Races. The event is the primary fundraiser for United Way of Sumner County.
An outsider watching this flurry of activity might not realize this day is the culmination of a year’s worth of work. Driven by a desire to help others, these amazing women serving on the Gala committee – Kelley Crecelius, Kendall Hall, Courtney Moseley, Beth Pickel, Amy Ramsey, Susan White, Susannah Wood, and Jessica Stahl – began this journey in a United Way conference room about 11 months ago.
At that conference table, they shared ideas, opinions, and a lot of laughter. During the months that followed, they brought their individual creativity, talents, skills, and compassion to this project – knowing it is, in fact, a year-long commitment.
Throughout the year, they sold sponsorships, invited the community to the Gala, encouraged businesses to sponsor a table, asked friends and strangers to donate items for the live and silent auctions, enlisted other volunteers to help, and poured themselves into the Gala. They gave their own time, talent, and personal finances to make sure the event would be an enjoyable evening of fun and fundraising for everyone.
On the day of the Gala, with a handful of other volunteers, they moved tables and chairs and carried box after box of donations from the parking lot.
Eventually, the extra volunteers had to leave, but with boundless energy, the committee continued working until the last minute – racing to finalize the finishing touches. Finally, they left the venue long enough to freshen up, returning a short while later to entertain old friends of United Way and many newcomers.
It is the evening of March 21, 2025.
Guests arrive, greeted in the foyer by a large boxwood green Champagne Wall featuring red rose horseshoes (handmade by United Way volunteers and decorated by committee members). Spectacular floral centerpieces crown each table which are already bursting with the colors of spring. At the silent auction tables, sparkling pre-lit trees help light the baskets arranged in a row. The VIP room is assembled for bourbon lovers, a Wine Pull ready for anyone willing to donate for a good cause, and the stage set with amazing live auction items.
By night’s end, the Gala will have raised $63,000 (and counting).
After all the guests have gone home, the committee’s work is far from finished. Setting aside their exhaustion, they spend the next hour or so breaking it all down, packing it all up.
A few weeks later, they will gather again for a wrap-up meeting to analyze what worked well and what might encourage others to get involved with United Way and give back to this community.
The next Gala is 11 months away, and they are ready to begin again.
The race is on for March 27, 2026. Save the date!
