Hope & All That Jazz 2015 attendees: ‘This was the best Jazz ever’

The deep red cloth was strewn from the ceiling. The white orchids in gold bowl centerpieces sat gracefully on the tables. The silent auction items were placed strategically on the display tables. The mouth-watering smell of the steak medallions and risotto filled the air. The festive music and laughs could be heard through the hall to the main lobby.

The 26th Annual Hope and All That Jazz was said to be the best Jazz ever.

“I’m just worried now how we top this in 2016,” said Stefanie Shanks, Hope House special events manager. “I’m ecstatic that the guests had such a great time. The music was great. Everyone loved the auction and bidding through their phones. The live auction was exciting. I couldn’t be more thrilled that everyone had a great time.”

The evening began with cocktails and appetizers during the silent auction period. The auction featured items such as sports memorabilia, artwork, food and wine, trips, a frame with two autographed photos of the legendary B.B. King, a grill master’s barbecue set, and much more. Attendees were able to walk around, having a great time visiting with friends rather than hovering over silent auction paper bid sheets.

“This year, we did mobile bidding,” said Shanks. “This allowed participants to go wherever they wanted during the silent auction, because all they needed was their smart phone. We received so much feedback about this, and we’ll definitely be doing it again next year.”

Once the silent auction was over, guests entered the ballroom, where dinner was served. The options for the evening were steak medallions with seafood cake and roasted tomato and peppers, or vegetarian risotto cake with spaghetti squash. Dessert consisted of a chocolate truffle mousse terrine with passion fruit crème brulee.

After dinner, the evening’s emcee, Kris Ketz of KMBC-TV9, welcomed everyone to the 26th annual benefit and turned it over to Hope and All That Jazz 2015 Chair Peter deSilva of UMB.

“Domestic violence of any kind is a stain on this and every other community in America,” said deSilva. “As a society it should be a top priority to eradicate domestic violence in all of its ugly forms. Given that we will unfortunately not likely eradicate domestic violence completely, the next best thing to do is to fully support those affected by it.”

DeSilva was then joined on stage by Hope House CEO MaryAnne Metheny, who introduced former Independence Mayor Barbara Potts. Metheny then awarded the Blue Springs Police Department with the annual Barbara Potts Award.

“The Blue Springs Police Department understands the seriousness of the crime of domestic violence and has contributed to the change in culture in how victims are treated and abusers are held accountable,” said Metheny. “In 2011, they agreed to participate in the Lethality Assessment Program, which provides a more comprehensive approach to how domestic violence incidents are handled on the scene.”

Once the award was presented to Blue Springs Police Chief Wayne McCoy and Domestic Violence Det. Anda Offenbacker, the evening’s keynote speaker provided her remarks on her own personal domestic violence relationship.

“I was very young – in my teens as a matter of fact – when I became a mother and got married,” said CiCi Rojas, president and CEO of the Central Exchange, and former Hope House board chairperson. “I found myself with three small children and caught in a very abusive marriage, very simply because of pride and wanting to provide a home for my children with two parents.”

Worried about their disappointment, Rojas hid the abuse and shame she felt from her parents and friends. Soon, her abusive husband would discover her intentions to leave and beat her to the point of unconsciousness.

“I knew I had to escape for me and my children,” she continued. “I had to regain my confidence and my self-worth. So, I set out to change my life. There are many women and children that benefit from Hope House. But, it’s not about the shelter and services so much as it is about the aspirational benefit, the renewal of confidence and self-esteem that ignites the desire to survive and find the power to thrive.”

Her moving speech brought tears to many in the room.

“It made a huge impact on everyone in attendance,” said Shanks. “When you have a keynote presenter who can show the true emotion in her story, it makes it easier for others to understand exactly what survivors and families are going through in their own homes.”

The evening’s festivities continued with Kansas City’s famous auctioneers, the Nigro Brothers. They encouraged all to participate in the Fund-A-Need segment, where attendees raised their bid numbers to fund services offered by Hope House.

Then, it was on to the live auction that included a puppy, a trip to a winery in Oregon, a stay in sunny Florida, a mink coat, dinner with Chiefs’ Quarterback Alex Smith, a diamond necklace and more.

“The Nigro Brothers always make the live auction fun,” Shanks continued. “This year, there was a lot of excitement with the diamond necklace and the puppy. I think what made the auction great this year was the variety of items. We certainly had something for everyone in attendance.”

Once the auction ended, it was time for the real fun to begin. KOKOMO played live music while patrons danced the night away on the dance floor that was embossed with the Hope House golden sun logo. Although some turned in early, others decided to stick around and close the ballroom down – proving even more that Jazz 2015 was one for the record books.

Overall, the event raised more than $370,000 that will benefit Hope House’s general operating budget. The domestic violence agency that offers Missouri’s most comprehensive services will provide safe shelter, outreach therapy, food, court advocacy and much more to survivors and families of domestic violence.

“Without our caring community growing Jazz each year, there is no way we would be able to serve the thousands of survivors and families that we do,” Metheny said. “I remember the day of personally putting together centerpieces in a small banquet hall for 300 people. Now, having over 600 people in attendance, yet seeing so many longtime friends, I know we’ll be serving this community for much longer.”

'Tis the Season for Events! Join Us and Party With Purpose...

Part of what we do at Hope House is find ways to engage donors in fun, participatory ways. Because of that, we have many different events to offer our supporters throughout the year. Sure, we do the standard nonprofit stuff like write grants, send letters out explaining what we do, why we do it and asking you to please donate and, increasingly, we take part in online charity challenges whenever we are awarded the opportunity to do so. But events are a big deal for us. They represent nearly 15% of our overall annual budget PLUS they give us the chance to celebrate and spend time with our supporters and community. Take a look at our upcoming events and see if you might like to join us at one. There's definitely something for everybody, so consider partying with a purpose! 

HOPE & ALL THAT JAZZ 
Saturday, August 16, 2014 • 5:30pm - Midnight at The Meuhlebach Hotel

It's the silver anniversary of JAZZ! That's right, this event is in its 25th year. So come and join us! Dance to Drew Six, feast on fabulous food, and bid on fantastic auction items at one of the best live and silent auctions around! For more information, visit hopehouse.net/jazz2014.

Club curry Speak Easy Affair
Friday, September 5, 2014 • 7pm - Midnight

Vegas comes to KCMO with Club Curry, a charity event taking place at the fabulous Black on Burlington. This event has been a huge hit in Las Vegas and we’re so glad that host Mark Curry is bringing it to Kansas City to benefit Hope House. And he's bringing Vegas DJ Nick Ayler to rock the house too! Get your tickets at 2014ClubCurryTickets

BIRDIES FORE HOPE
Monday, September 22, 2014 • 8am Registration • 9am Tee Time

Join us for the 4th Annual Birdies Charity Golf Tournament for Women. Play and make a difference all at once! More information and tickets are available at hopehouse.net/birdies.

Howlin’ For Hope
Sunday, October 12, 2014 • 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Come sing with us at the 7th annual Howlin' For Hope at Howl at the Moon in the Power & Light District. Enjoy the World's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Dueling Piano Show and raise funds for Hope House! This totally fun event will have you singing and dancing with everyone in the room PLUS a live auction! Check it out at hopehouse.net/howl2014.

BOOTS & BLING
Saturday, October 18, 2014 • 7pm - Midnight

Saddle up and head over to Sunset Trails Stables in Lee's Summit for the 2nd annul Boots & Bling hosted by Anne Aubuchon! Enjoy delicious BBQ, drinks, live and silent auctions and great music and dancing to Ryan Triggs and The Rivet Busters! This is a real stable, with horses, hay and everything, so wear your jeans, boots and, of course, your BLING! Check it out at hopehouse.net/bootsandbling.

Hope & All That Jazz

We are gearing up for our annual Hope and All That Jazz this Saturday, August 18, at the Muehlebach Hotel in downtown Kansas City.

We look forward to this annual event as we gather with 500 of our supporters and friends to raise money for the daily operations at Hope House. It is a fun evening to dress up and mingle with friends and those you haven’t seen for some time. 

Everyone is in a good mood and ready to bid on the wonderful auction items that are displayed so beautifully. Every year bidding wars happen. It’s so fun to watch people hovering close to the bid sheet, ready to write down the next bid as soon as the previous bidder walks away. 

We have wonderful donors that donate beautiful and unique auction items that appeal to everyone. We have sports items, beautiful artwork, home accents, a wonderful collection of wine, and so much more. There truly is something for everyone.

The live auction includes trips, sports packages, and a much sought after puppy, to name a few.

We will have a story from a survivor that I am so looking forward to hearing. She is truly an inspiration and I know people will be moved by her story of survival and her sense of gratitude and optimism.

If you have never been to Jazz before I encourage you to consider it this year. It’s a great time and all of the proceeds help us continue our mission of breaking the cycle of domestic violence.

It isn’t too late to sponsor a table or to buy individual tickets. Contact Libby at 816-257-9334 for more information. I hope to see you on the 18^th.

A Successful Hope & All That Jazz

Hope and All That Jazz took place on Saturday night at the Muehlebach Hotel. It was a huge achievement, bringing in around $327,000 that will help fund vital programs that help women and children affected by domestic violence.

It was a wonderful evening with people filling the hallways and the ballroom to support Hope House. The silent and live auctions were fantastic. We had a committee that worked extremely hard on securing new and interesting items that were a hit with our guests.

We were fortunate to have Mary Hunter share her story of the road to recovery that took place in her family after her daughter was a victim of domestic violence. She shared how difficult it was to believe that it could happen to her family - a family that was full of love and self esteem and “ordinary” in so many ways - not one that could be impacted by domestic violence.

What she learned through her process is that domestic violence can happen to anyone, including her daughter. How wonderful to hear such an uplifting story and know that Hope House services made a difference in the lives of Mary’s family.

I am grateful for all of the hard work of our co-chairs, Bill and Liz Downey, and Chuck and Susie Caisley. They worked so hard to secure sponsors and to introduce Hope House to new people who have become our friends. We couldn’t have done it without them or our Board of Directors.

My thanks to everyone who had a hand in making this event such a huge success.

Please mark your calendars for next year, August 20th, for another wonderful Hope and All That Jazz. We would love to see you there.

Hope & All That Jazz - August 21

Would you like to stay in a fully furnished villa for 7 days in Hawaii, or enjoy Carrie Underwood in luxury with 16 tickets in the KCP&L Sprint Center suite?

Well, our largest fundraiser of the year is just around the corner (Saturday, August 21) and those items will be available at the event in the live auction. This event is so much fun and so important to our mission. We are expecting over 600 people at this event where we will have dinner and enjoy the silent and live auction.

Take a sneak peek at some of the auction items we’ll have available by checking out our Auction Flipbook.

We'll have so many other wonderful items too, including jewelry, children’s items, artwork, wine and many, many other beautiful things to bid on. It is so much fun to watch the guests get into bidding wars with each other over their favorite items!

The funds raised from this event support our daily operations, allowing us to provide life-saving and critical services to over 10,000 people every year who are impacted by domestic violence.

This year we will move across the street to the Muehlebach Hotel. I know that the new venue will be perfect and the evening will be a success. We are still taking reservations, so if you don't have your tickets yet, it isn’t too late. You can purchase tickets at our website, or call Libby at 816-257-9334.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Events Keep the Lights On

Events are a very important part of the work we do at Hope House. In order for us to offer our services to the people that need us, we must continue to raise dollars and awareness of our mission. Events are a great way to accomplish this goal. Net proceeds from our events help to support our daily operations; they help keep the doors open and the lights on every day.

SPRING FLING

Hope House hosts four events during the year. There was Spring Fling (a casino night) in March, and it was a huge success this year despite the blizzard! The first day of spring, and we were hit with a snow storm. It didn’t dampen the spirits of the 160 courageous souls who braved the weather to join us.

CELEBRITY GOLF CLASSIC

Our golf tournament is just around the corner and will be held on May 17^th. Held at Creekmoor Golf Club in Raymore, Missouri, we have a sell out crowd that will spend the day golfing, eating and buying auction items. The golf tournament has been a big hit and we are fortunate to have most of the same teams return year after year to continue to support us. It is opportunity for people to have fun and help us raise funds at the same time. What a win-win for everyone.

COMING UP

Rounding out the year is Hope & All That Jazz, our black tie gala, on August 21st, and Howlin’ for Hope, a rocking interactive dueling piano show on October 3rd. Visit our website to find out more details and get information about sponsorships and tickets.

THIRD PARTY EVENTS 

We have many third party events during the year as well. These events are hosted by others, with proceeds coming back to Hope House. For example, Mama Ray hosted her 15th Annual Have a Heart for Hope on April 11th at BB’s Lawnside BBQ and raised over $3,000! Please visit our website www.hopehouse.net to see a listing of the upcoming third party events. If you are interested in sponsoring your own event for Hope House, please let us know!!