14th Annual Arc Benefit Gala

Thanks to everyone for making the 14th Annual Arc Benefit Gala a night to remember. Nearly 300 guests entered the Hilton Memphis’ Grand Ballroom September 26 to enjoy food, entertainment, and music, all for a good cause.

The event featured a silent and live auction. Some of the items up for bid included a 47” Philips HDTV from Sam’s Club, roundtrip tickets from Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways, a membership to The Crescent Club, and a John Hardy cocktail ring from Mednikow Jewelers.

Members of The Arc of the Mid-South’s Board of Directors presented awards to honor those who continually strive to make a difference in lives of individuals with disabilities, their families, and friends. Winners for this year’s awards include:

Taco Bell – Employer of the Year
Kristen Hicks – Employee of the Year
Anthony Sledge – Professional of the Year
John Barzizza – Distinguished Community Service Award
Lou Gettings – Educator/Advocate of the Year
Derrick Freeman – Outstanding Artist/Performer Award
Adrian Starks – Empowerment Award
Beverly Cannon – Humanitarian of the Year

Joe Birch of WMC-TV did an awesome job moderating the event and serving as celebrity auctioneer.

Thanks to our volunteers, staff, and all attendees!

Make sure to check out photos from the gala on our flickr page!

A C Wharton speech from our Gala

For those of you who made it to our Gala Saturday night, you've already seen this. But if you missed the event, not only did you miss a fantastic time, you missed this great presentation by Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton.

Mayor Wharton was to be our featured speaker, but due to the Memphis Mayoral debate on WREG, he had to pull out of the Gala. While we were disappointed that he wouldn't be there, we were very grateful for the efforts Mayor Wharton and his staff put forth to be sure that we had a keynote presentation.

The Arc of the Mid-South to be featured on Memphis Makers

Just a programming note for everyone, The Arc of the Mid-South will be featured on the August episode of Memphis Makers, a show on the Library Channel in which host Ally Luciano talks with representatives of Memphis area non-profit agencies about the services and activities they provide to the community.

Carlene Leaper, our executive director filmed the show last Wednesday and it will air all during the month of August. She talks about the missions and visions of The Arc as well as our upcoming 14th Annual Arc Benefit Gala.

It was good to see everyone at AutoZone Park!

A sincere thank you to every one who bought tickets to the Redbirds game last Friday night. We had a great turn out (more than 100 tickets sold) and received additional donations from many of you as well. It was great to talk to many of you at our table in the courtyard before the game and answer some questions about the work we do.

Don't forget that we've begun collecting sponsorships and auction items for our 14th Annual Arc Benefit Gala coming up at the end of September. If you'd like to contribute, please contact Eugenia Murphy at (901) 327-2473 x503 or email her here.

Thanks again for your support!

New Gala Page on our website

Hey everybody,

Just a heads up that we've got a page on our website dedicated our to our 14th Annual Arc Benefit Gala. It's got all the information you need about the event. You can even purchase your tickets online.

We're very excited about this year's event. Shelby County Mayor AC Wharton is our keynote speaker and Action News 5 anchor Joe Birch is serving as moderator. It should be a fantastic event and we hope to see you there!

A.C. Wharton to speak at Gala!

We got exciting news today with the announcement that Shelby County mayor A.C. Wharton will be the keynote speaker at our 14th Annual Arc Benefit Gala. With Mayor Wharton speaking and Joe Birch moderating, it's sure to be a fun evening and a great way to raise money to help make a difference in the lives of the Mid-South disability community.

This year's event is Saturday, September 26th at the Hilton Hotel in East Memphis. Tickets are now on sale! Prices start at $50 and the doors will open at 6:00 for those with VIP tickets. This year's theme is "Strengthening the Community Through Families and Partners". More information will be available shortly on our website.

Save the Date: 14th Annual Arc Benefit Gala

Joe Birch will moderate Awards Gala/Fundraiser

Great news regarding our 14th Annual Awards Gala/Fundraiser - Joe Birch has confirmed as our moderator. As one of the most recognizable faces and voices in Memphis, his addition to the event is certainly a boost.

Be sure to check back often as we'll be posting more details about the event as they are confirmed. We hope to announce our keynote speaker soon.