Wendell Foster raised a record-breaking total of $239,317 at its Forever a Difference Maker Gala & Auction on Saturday, September 6. Proceeds from the event, presented by Amvets Post 75, support the nearly 70,000 services provided by the non-profit, ranging from residential services, outpatient therapy services, and community-based programming. The annual event serves as Wendell Foster’s primary fundraiser each year through generous bids, sponsorships, ticket purchases, and donations from gala attendees.
The gala and auction featured 400 silent auction items donated by generous community members and businesses and 12 live auction packages that included premiere trips and experiences, hard-to-find bourbon, and more. Eyewitness News Meteorologist Ron Rhodes and former Eyewitness News Anchor Jake Boswell returned as the evening’s emcees, along with auctioneer Joseph Mills of Kurtz Auction & Realty. The organization also presented its third-annual Difference Maker of the Year Award to Brad Phelan. Phelan has been a dedicated volunteer at Wendell Foster for two years and spends time each week on campus with Wendell Foster residents. He also participates in employee recognition efforts and volunteers his time at the Wendell Foster Half Marathon & 5K. Wendell Foster also presented a Legacy Award at the event to Ann Murphy Kincheloe. Murphy Kincheloe served on Wendell Foster’s Board of Directors for two decades and was instrumental in the non-profit’s long-term sustainability. She recalled the organization suffering hardships in the 1970s, and the Owensboro community rallying together to ensure Wendell Foster remained operational. “This community was the character and conscience of the Wendell Foster Center, ” said Murphy Kincheloe. “We would not be here without this community, and over the years, they’ve never let us down. It speaks to what this community has done and continues to do, and the belief in Wendell Foster. I was just a catalyst, everybody else did the work.”
Morgan and Tristan Russelburg shared their personal experience with Wendell Foster at the gala and auction as the night’s Featured Family. Their sons, Grayson and Hudson, both attend outpatient therapies at Wendell Foster. Grayson was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of two and Hudson with profound hearing loss shortly after birth. Today, Grayson is excelling amongst his peers at school and Hudson has full access to sound with bilateral cochlear implants. Morgan gave onstage remarks before the Special Appeal portion of the event, sharing: “Wendell Foster isn’t just a group of buildings where good things happen. We knew this organization provided amazing care for our community, but we didn’t truly understand what happened within those walls until we experienced it for ourselves and met the Difference Makers who work there. Wendell Foster has allowed our boys to thrive, and gives us hope for our children’s future.”
Kara Howard, Vice President of Development and Community Engagement at Wendell Foster, expressed her excitement at the success of the annual fundraiser. “The funds raised at the gala and auction directly impact the individuals we serve, and we are endlessly grateful to our community of Difference Makers who came together to support Wendell Foster at this event!”