Last Saturday, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of our annual gala, the Ice Ball. Everyone was hoping for a successful event …and the results took our breath away! With a record 700 guests, the Ice Ball raised an amazing $500,000 for our kids!
The ice “wall” – sculpture and photo courtesy of Full Spectrum Ice.
Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, guests and friends that night, we can continue supporting mentoring relationships for nearly 1,000 local children — and helping our Little Brothers and Sisters achieve lifelong success!
Saturday was a big night for so many reasons. As limos pulled up to the Hyatt Regency’s brand new Zilker ballroom, champagne and signature Deep Eddy Vodka cocktails circulated while guests perused a silent auction that included a guitar autographed by Willie Nelson and much more.
The program portion of the evening kicked off with a powerful video of one mother’s story — and how her children have benefited from the BBBS program. As the lights went up, the family and their “Bigs” received a standing ovation from the entire ballroom.
Nancy, her family and the kids’ “Bigs”. (Photo: Christina Harding)
After such an amazing story — live auction and “Fund A Friendship” donations alone totaled close to $250,000! Gayle Stallings with FunAuctions had bidder paddles up, and everyone was ready to start something BIG!
Of course, our media friends were also there covering the evening, including Austin Monthly, TRIBEZA, Giving City, and InFluential magazine. Huge thanks to them for supporting our mission and spreading the word!
Connie and Bill Nelson – “Big Couple” and Event Committee Chairs for Ice Ball 2014. (Photo: Christina Harding)
Last, but certainly not least, one of the special things about this year’s event was that our Event Committee Chairs (Connie and Bill Nelson) are Bigs themselves. They’ve been a “Big Couple” for four years now to a wonderful little boy, named Thomas. Huge thanks to the Nelsons, the Host Committee and all the wonderful people in the room that night. You’ve made a lifetime of difference for our kids!
Big Brothers Big Sisters Blog 