It’s not often that you plan something in your mind, and when you actually execute, it matches your original thoughts.
When it does happen, it is remarkable. Last Saturday was just that: remarkable. Sure, we had a couple hiccups as we always do when conducting events this big, but as the first guests arrived and the band began to play, I looked around and thought to myself, “Holy shit, this is happening.”
A lot of people give me compliments about the work I am doing, or about the event, and I appreciate that. But really these events have a lot less to do with me and more to do with my volunteers and you than anything else. Sure, I slap some words down on my laptop every couple days, and I do believe I am doing something helpful to those who may be suffering from a loss to suicide or battling depression. But it’s all the behind-the-scenes work that is done by some very special people over four months ago when we first sat down to plan this event.
It’s the Erin Madorsky’s of the world that take on the auction process and organize and solicit donations for the auction and see it through until the very last penny is collected. It’s the Brian Chap’s and Kaitlyn McInnis’s who work with their teams to relentlessly pursue sponsorship dollars that provide us the foundational budget from which we book the venues, the entertainment, the food, the liquor. It’s the Chrissy Carey’s and Tom Buyak’s who run around New York City, trying to find the best venues to meet our vision. It’s the Lauren McKinnon’s who hunt down and listen to different bands and performers to find the right vibe for the evening. It’s the Renee Appelle’s who, when they see the bar is backing up, hop behind and put her college skills to work without even asking. It’s the Jenny Meitzner’s who diligently take the minutes and organize all of the volunteers’ schedules so the meetings actually happen and follow up diligently on all facets of the event. It the Susan Rudolph’s who handle the books, the petty cash, the vendor payables. It’s the Dennis Claus’, Ashley Nolan’s, and Giulia Gasperi’s who tweet, post, and instagram, who develop new creative and social outreach activation points. It’s the Ghost’s, the Trina’s, the Palma’s, the Adler’s, the Finger’s, the Brad’s, the Storer’s who just say, “What can I do?” and take a load off our back. It’s the Joann Carey’s who continue to sort out the details of getting all the furniture back long after the event is over. It’s the JD’s and Kevin Breel’s who respond to my e-mails and fly across the country because they believe in what we are doing.
It’s my sponsors TubeMogul, ShareThis, Mojiva, Certe, Channel Factory, Mobile Theory, and Pulsepoint (in no particular order) who work with us to add all the little details that turn a cocktail party into a Gala.
It’s the people I am forgetting right now that I will feel awful for not mentioning and ask them to forgive me in advance.
Most importantly, it’s the 460 people who showed up and helped us raise over $100K in a single night.
They should make a word that is more powerful than “thank you” because it just isn’t enough to simply say thank you. The amount of pride and respect I have for each and every one of you to play your part is bottomless.
I really hope you had an amazing time. It was for me one of the most special evenings of my entire life.
Thank you.
