Christmas — it’s the most magical time of year!

Except, perhaps, if you are a child in a foster care group home.

“Christmas is different for every single child in foster care, and a lot of emotions come with that,” says Jessica Brown, founder of His Children Foundation (HCF), a non-profit organization started in July 2021.

In response to this need, the first annual Legacy Gala will take place on November 2 to raise funds to purchase Christmas presents for 150 children in foster homes this year. The event will take place at The Barn at Spring Lake Farms in Portland starting at 6 pm.

All proceeds from the evening will go directly towards purchasing presents for the foster children that HCF is gathering from five different foster homes.

Since launching, HCF has provided over 200 customized duffle bags, helped countless foster families with various needs, and delivered Christmas presents to more than 100 children.

Recently, HCF announced at their Summer Nights Fundraiser a goal to fulfill the Christmas lists of 100 foster children this year alone.

“Christmas is usually a bit stressful for Children in foster care,” continues Jessica. “There are some who will be spending their first Christmas without their parents, and it’s a sad day for them. Some children are wondering if they will get presents at all, especially in group homes, and some wake up on Christmas Day to the first present they have ever received in their lifetime. If the social worker cannot provide presents, it’s up to the group home and their funds are limited.”

The need is definitely real.

And there was someone in the audience that evening who not only wanted to help meet that need, but also had the perfect plan in place to do so.

“I wanted to leap out of my seat and tell them about our fundraising event already in the works,” says Rachel Allison, co-founder of Stay Positive News. “I knew I had to speak with a few people first, but I called Jessica a few days after the event and was able to give her the good news that we not only wanted to raise enough for 100 kids, but we wanted to up that number to 150.”

Rachel had already been meeting with a small committee composed of Steve Cunningham, pastor of Well House Church, Jennifer Ray, owner of Effortless Event Planning, and Jessica Collier, owner of Southern Welcome Holiday Decorating, to plan a charity fundraising gala for later this year.

“When Steve first requested a meeting with me, I had no idea what it was about, but then he pitched the idea of hosting a fundraiser to buy Christmas presents for children in need, and I started tearing up,” recalls Rachel, the emotion evident in her voice. “It just so happened that I had been dreaming for months about doing the same exact thing through Stay Positive News.”

It made sense to join forces together for the greater good.

“Well House is committed to changing the landscape of our community, and that means changing the lives of children in our community,” says Steve. “Children in foster care are some of the most at risk and need caring people who will invest in them. It’s in our DNA to care about the people in our community and help foster their faith and their talents to change the world.”

Steve and Rachel knew they’d need assistance with all the details of planning the event, so they approached Jennifer and Jessica with the idea, and both of them wanted to help, free of charge.

“How could I not want to be involved in this event?” says Jennifer. “We’re uniting together as neighbors for a greater cause, and what’s a better cause than making sure children in foster care receive Christmas presents?”

“I’m always drawn to anything that benefits foster kids and always down to celebrate anybody doing amazing things in our community,” says Jessica. “This was kind of a no-brainer.”

In addition to the fundraising, the event serves another great purpose.

Awards will be given to community leaders in five different categories. The public will be nominating these candidates now through October 13 online here. The nominations will be narrowed down to the top three in each category, and the public will vote again from October 15 through November 1. The winner will be announced at the Legacy Gala on November 2.

“I’m looking forward to hearing the stories and being connected to people who are leaving a lasting legacy in our community day in and day out!” exclaims Steve.

“These people are often not recognized for all they do,” adds Rachel. “We want to shine a light on their good work. My hope is these awards and recognitions will be widely known and highly esteemed throughout Middle Tennessee.”

The evening is sure to be a good time, and all for a good cause! There will be live music by Soul Soup, dance performances from Dance South, magic performances by The Infamous Magic Steve, a celebrity emcee, dinner, drinks, dessert, and more!

Table sponsorship opportunities are now available, and a limited number of individual tickets will go on sale October 1. If you are interested in making a tax deductible sponsorship donation, please email Rachel Allison at Rachel@staypositive.news.

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