While enjoying breakfast on February 21
st
, over 400 friends came together at Armature Works to hear about the help, hope and healing the Crisis Center is providing to the Tampa Bay community.
Rod Carter of WFLA served as the master of ceremonies for the event. Speakers included Board Chair Christopher Rogers and Crisis Center CEO Clara Reynolds; keynote speaker Denny Gallagher; Bob Gries, who provided one of the two challenge gifts; and Nikita Wilson, a veteran and sexual assault survivor who shared how finding the Crisis Center turned her life around.
As the keynote speaker, Denny spoke about the mental health issues his niece, Cameron, struggled with before passing from a heart condition. To honor her memory, Denny and his family host the SpeakUp5k in Tampa each October to shine a light on mental health issues in teens, with proceeds from that run supporting the Crisis Center.
Attendees had the chance to view a video of Nikita, who shared the story of the two assaults she faced in one night while training for a new post in the Army. The trauma haunted Nikita for years, even after she left the army, until she found the Crisis Center. The 2019 Cup of Compassion video can be viewed
HERE
.
A special thank you to our event sponsors, as well as Brian Prince and Bob Gries who each committed to matching up to $25,000 in gifts. Together with the donations made at the breakfast, we raised over $320,000, with 15 people joining the Sustainer Society!
