Mama Ray's Have A Heart Jazz & Blues Benefit

Each year, for the past 19 years, Diane “Mama” Ray has headed up the fundraiser “Have a Heart”, a jazz and blues benefit for Hope House. This dedication started back when she was an administrative assistant at Hope House and viewed, from the frontlines, the horrendous effect domestic violence had on so many women. She also saw, first hand, the hope that many gained by coming to Hope House and began to understand just what it takes to make that happen—financially and otherwise.

Mama Ray took it upon herself to do something to help and decided to champion us outside of work too. She decided to become our advocate in the way she knew best—through her considerable talent. And she didn’t stop there. She also got her friends involved—some of the best jazz and blues bands in the area—and Have a Heart was born. The annual benefit takes place at the venerable B.B.'s Lawnside BBQ, a Kansas City favorite since 1990 known for its great music and bar-b-que. 

JOIN US for the 19th ANNUAL JAZZ & BLUES BENEFIT hosted by MAMA RAY!

April 13^th from 1pm-9pm
BB's Lawnside Bar-B-Q
1205 E. 85th Street, Kansas City, MO

You can be sure you’ll eat and drink well, hear some AMAZING MUSIC, partake of live auctions between bands and generally have a good time all the while supporting a great cause…us!

This year features:
Mark Valentine & The Ticklers
Brian Ruskin & Friends—with Special Guest Julie Turner
Funk Syndicate
Kathleen Kunkler & The One Night Stand Band
Everette DeVan Quartet
Eboni Fondren
Sharon Thompson
The Old Crows
Levee Town
And Many More Special Guests!

Tickets are $8 in advance at https://9404.thankyou4caring.org/events/have-a-heart or $10 at the door.

We hope to see you there!

Hope & All That Jazz

Our largest fundraiser of the year is fast approaching. Hope and All That Jazz will be held at the Muehlebach Hotel on August 20. Festivities start at 5:30.

The event activities include fabulous food and drinks, the opportunity to bid on some of the best auction items you'll ever see, dancing to the sounds of the Kerry Strayer band, and an opportunity to spend time with friends and learn more about Hope House.

It isn't too late to join us! For ticket and sponsorship information, go to the Jazz page on our website, or you can contact Libby at 816-257-9334 or lconnor@hopehouse.net.

For the first time, we're starting the Jazz festivities a couple of weeks early! We've set up an online auction which features unique items like you’ll find at our Jazz event such as:

• A Danger Zone Flying Experience where you’ll be flying the plane in dog fight. Hello, Maverick?

• An autographed Eagles Greatest Hits album, signed by all the original band members.

• Sporting gear like a Nike golf shirt and a wind jacket that has sleeves that detach at two different lengths.

The online auction continues through 5PM CDT on August 16. Get registered now and join in the fun! 

The proceeds from the online auction and the Jazz event support our daily operations. The dollars raised are crucial for us to maintain the level of programming we currently offer. By participating in this event, you could have a great time, and help to save lives. What could be better than that? We look forward to seeing you there.