Covenant House Georgia Private Patron Party 2017
I love working with Covenant House Georgia. The people have this incredible energy about them. It’s palpable. Every time I’m with them, I know intrinsically they wake up each day pumped because they make such a difference in the lives of people who often arrive at their doors without any hope. Youth who have been abandoned by parents and family, trafficked, and lived on the streets. Youth who have seen horrific things. Like their friends being shot and killed. Living lives I find unimaginable.
Lives that leave my heart aching for the unspeakable events they have experienced.
That no one should ever have to experience.
Yet these youth have something deep inside them that believes there is something better. And they are taken into Covenant House Georgia with open arms, trust (this is considered a crisis shelter, which means background checks are not performed and are not an entry requirement), and the belief that with encouragement, love, and guidance…lives will be turned around. For the good.
Programs are in place to help these youth become independently self-sufficient. Counseling is provided. Medications are covered. Life skills are taught. From keeping a living space clean and organized to budgeting for groceries and monthly bills to balancing a checkbook and planning out savings for the future.
The people at Covenant House Georgia do not have easy tasks to perform. There are many challenges. After all, they are changing the lives of humans and building solid foundations for succesful futures. And that is what is so incredibly rewarding. I believe that is what energizes these people and fills them with this magnificent drive that is contagious.
If you want to make a difference in the lives of other human beings, may I suggest helping Covenant House Georgia? There are different ways you can help. From volunteering to help cook dinner for the youth, to donating black dresses and white shirts for the annual Night of Broadway Stars production, dropping off toiletries that are always needed, to donating money that will be used for life changing programs for these youth.
If you decide to volunteer your time, services, or money, I’m pretty certain you will experience an intense expansion of your heart. An energy filling your soul that won’t let your mind stop running, even once your head hits your pillow at night. And a mindset shift that makes you a little more aware of the good transpiring in our city.
It’s a feeling that doesn’t leave quickly. At least in my experience.
Below are the photographs I made from the private patron party. Sponsored by Delta, Coca-Cola, the Cavanaugh Family, Jessica + Sandy Douglas, and Carol + Paul Garcia. Neil Berg is a Broadway composer and instrumental person in engaging and coordinating the performances of Broadway stars for the Covenant House. Rita Harvey who played Christine Daiae from Phantom of the Opera and Lawrence Clayton who was the first African American to play Javert in Les Miserables. Their voices filled this home and fueled the passion of dozens of people to help make a difference in the lives of homeless youth through Covenant House Georgia.
I wish you could have heard their voices. They were phenomenal.
I wish you could have felt the energy filling the room. It was overwhelming.
You can see more current happenings with Covenant House Georgia here on their facebook page.
A Night of Broadway Stars is coming up on April 27th. You can learn more about it here, as well as purchase tickets. Based on last year’s performances and the high that lasted a week from everything that happened that evening, I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to document this evening next month. If you decide to help out, drop me a line and let me know. I’d love to hear about your experience!