Hula and Lei’s and $10,000 Oh My!

Presented by Cherokee Distributing Company, the 12th Annual Dawn of Hope Spring Luau Held on Thursday, May 5, 2016 at the Millennium Centre in Johnson City, TN, raised more than $55,000, all of which will help support life enhancing programs for more than 210 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities served by Dawn of Hope!

 Guests enjoyed Hawaiian-style luau fare from the Millennium Centre and complimentary beverages from Cherokee Distributing and One Stop Wines & Spirits all in a relaxed, tropical atmosphere. Guests had the opportunity to meet and even dance with numerous individuals served by Dawn of Hope and had the pleasure of hearing from Mrs. Arlyn Wattenbarger, the mother of service recipient David. She engaged the crowd with heartwarming stories about raising a child with disabilities and the crucial impact that Dawn of Hope has made o
n her entire family.  Entertainment continued throughout the night with numerous activities including the live and silent auctions, complimentary photos from Mr. Picture Booth, a festive game of Heads or Tails, and dancing the night away to beach-themed music by 40 West.

The $10,000 grand prize was split four ways; Diana Storey, Kimberly Brown, Cooper & Brittany Camak, and OJ Gardner!  Another $2,125 was dispersed in smaller cash prizes to seventeen other lucky winners. The generosity of our community shows no bounds; more than $3,000 of the cash prizes were donated back to the Dawn of Hope Foundation!

We are sincerely grateful to our Major Sponsor, Cherokee Distributing Co., Logo Sponsors; Tennessee Office Supply  and BB&T, Keiki Café and Leilani’s Dessert Bar Sponsors; Hungate Engineering, Bank of Tennessee and Dr. Wendy Nehring and all of our remaining event sponsors, donors, raffle ticket holders and volunteers who helped make this year’s Spring Luau a fantastic event. It is through the kindness and generosity from our business and community partners, that we are able to continue to impact the lives of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  On behalf of everyone at Dawn of Hope, we extend our utmost gratitude, THANK YOU!