Golden Hearts Luncheon Raises $159,000 for Northwest Center Kids Services

On Tuesday, October 11th, local business leaders and members of the community filled the 4th floor of the Westin Downtown – Seattle to celebrate and invest in our Early Learning services for children with and without disabilities.

Mike “The Gas Man” Gastineau was our Master of Ceremonies; he fully utilized his boundless energy and quick-wit to engage the audience.

CEO, Ben Ravani shared our vision of a world where all people have the same opportunity to learn, work and enjoy a fulfilling life, and the effort Northwest Center is putting forth to make that vision a reality.

Northwest Center Kids parent, Katie Curnutte shared an enlightening story about their family’s choice to seek out an inclusive school for their two typically developing children. Katie’s experience with our early learning center in Greenwood clearly demonstrated that inclusive classrooms benefit all children, not just those with disabilities.

Our celebrity guest speaker, Curt Warner and wife, Ana delivered a heartfelt message about the power of family, faith, and unconditional love to overcome the challenges they’ve faced while raising twin sons, both of whom have Autism, alongside two typically developing children.

To round off the luncheon, longtime employee of Northwest Center Kids, John appeared onstage to be properly recognized for nearly 30 years of dedicated service. He told the audience he wasn’t quite ready to retire yet and still looks forward to a few more years of work; as always, John is a model employee!

We are thrilled to announce that through the combined generosity of our donors and corporate sponsors, we raised $159,000 which will provide two fully-enrolled inclusive classrooms for an entire school year!

Thank you to our Title Sponsor, Value Village, who has been partnering with us for decades. Our other event sponsors, many of whom also hire our clients throughout their workforce, include: Amazon, Pacific Office Automation, MCM, Brown & Brown Insurance, and MacDonald Miller Facility Solutions. Thank you for making the event possible!

Special thanks to: Mike Gastineau, Curt and Ana Warner, Katie Curnutte, John at Northwest Center Kids, the staff at the Westin Downtown – Seattle, Northwest Center volunteers, and to all our donors and partners who made the event a massive success. Relive the event and see more great photos on our Facebook page.
  
Save the date for our next fundraising event; The Derby Gala, April 29, 2017.