Better Together, a nonprofit dedicated to families and children, hosted its ‘Night of a Million Dreams’ gala on Thursday, Feb. 20, raising $621,050 to support Better Together’s mission of strengthening families and preventing the need for foster care.
Held at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón, the “Once Upon a Time”-themed gala treated attendees to an evening that included dinner, dueling pianos, live auction and compelling stories of lives transformed. The event was chaired by Chadd and Andrea Hodges and Christian and Kelli Spilker.
Better Together helps parents who are going through a hard time to keep their kids out of foster care, find work and address the root causes of their struggle so that they can reunite as a family with the tools and support system to thrive. Established in Southwest Florida in 2015, the nonprofit’s programming has rapidly expanded to reach families in six regions of Florida, which span 48 counties. To date, the program has served 10,000 children and kept 98% of children served through mentoring and hosting out of foster care, while helping nearly 40,000 job seekers find employment through church-based job fairs across 24 states.
“I can’t thank our supporters enough for being here and being a part of the story. They are helping write a better future for families,” said Megan Rose, CEO of Better Together. “Their generous gifts help empower parents so that they can be the hero of their family’s story.”
This year’s Exclusive Presenting Title Sponsor was Gaea Landscaping. Additional sponsors included DeAngelis Diamond as Storyteller Sponsor; Gulfshore Life and Naples Press as Media Sponsor; Collier Enterprises, LeeCorp Homes and Wilson & Johnson as Royal Knight Sponsors; Collaboratory, HBK CPAs & Consultants, Trinity Commercial Group and Summit Church as Timeless Tale Sponsors; Florida Department of Children and Families, Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP, Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A., Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Metz, Husband & Daughton PA, Potter Homes and TaxSavers as Golden Apple Sponsors; Grasmeier Business Consulting, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Priority Marketing, Pulte Homes, Roof Right and RYAN Healing Center as Wishing Well Sponsors; and Boatman Ricci, Edison Business Advisors, Estate Landscaping & Lawn Management/Triple J Grassing & Mulching and Waste Pro as Fund A Dream Sponsors.
To learn more about Better Together and its mission, visit BetterTogetherUS.org
ABOUT BETTER TOGETHER
Better Together is a nonprofit organization that helps parents going through a hard time keep their kids out of foster care, find work and address the root causes of their struggle so that they can reunite as a family with the tools and support system to thrive. A privately funded and professionally supported organization, Better Together is made up of volunteers who believe helping people help themselves is the best way to restore dignity and bring families together. Through the Better Families program, families are offered a preventive alternative to foster care while they get the help they need. To date, the program has kept 98% of children served out of foster care. The Better Jobs program was created to address the 76% of families that come to Better Together because of economic hardship tied to unemployment. In addition to community job fairs, the program offers job seekers coaching, guidance, support and encouragement through local church partners. For more information, visit BetterTogetherUS.org.
