Our annual Live It Up! gala is a truly meaningful fundraiser for our mission and a chance to connect with supporters and change-makers in our local community.
If you missed our in-person celebration of hope, service, and impact on October 24, 2024, here’s a recap.
Your Impact
Thank you for coming together to support our mission! Our gala was a huge success!
More than 300 people gathered to celebrate hope.
Thanks to sponsors, guests, staff members, clients, team members, honorees, and supporters like you:
We raised over $170,000 to support Help Hope Live’s mission.
All the Highlights
We are grateful to Jeff Anderson Photography for once again capturing some of the magic and impact of this special night. Take a look:
Our Emcee
We were so excited to welcome our devoted Brand Champion Barrett Brooks to Live It Up! 2024 as our emcee.
Barrett is a host and analyst on NBC Sports Philly, a two-time Emmy winner, a former Philadelphia Eagle, and Super Bowl XL Champion for the Pittsburgh Steelers—but he is also someone who has forged a powerful and personal connection to our nonprofit mission.
During our 2024 gala, Barrett shared the impact he experienced during an in-person visit with adaptive bike recipient and Help Hope Live client Kelson M B Williams and his family.
Our mission is national, but as Barrett’s visit reinforced, it’s also deeply personal. Community support leaves a lasting individual legacy on each of our client families, locally and across the country.
Who We Honored
HELP AWARD: Bridge to Mobility, Accepted by Gerhard Schmidt and Marilyn Clark
“We’re very thankful for Help Hope Live—our No.1 partner by far in our first year of operations.”
- Increasing access to wheelchair accessible vans
- Providing last-dollar fundraising grants
- Improving educational, medical, employment, and community outcomes for people with disabilities and their families
HOPE AWARD: Lisa Thomas-Laury, Anchor and Author
“The book gave me purpose. I wanted [my sons] to see that there’s reason to help, hope, and live.”
- 38+ years of impact through work with 6ABC
- Living with the rare diagnosis POEMS since 2001
- Wrote a memoir about her experiences and finding hope and faith along the chronic illness journey
LIVE AWARD: Michael Newmuis, 2026 Director – City of Philadelphia
“Michael came into my life as an aide and left as a best friend.”
- Career-long impact for the city of Philadelphia in non-profit and corporate efforts
- Served as an aide to our spinal cord injury client Jeff Harris
- Supports Jeff’s annual Help Hope Live Curl-a-Thon fundraiser
- Will spearhead Philadelphia’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States
RAINEY AWARD: Volunteer of the Year Stephanie P. McAlaine
“When she sees somebody in need, she seems to find a way to find them help.”
- Sister to Help Hope Live client and bone marrow transplant recipient Doug Parisano
- Dedicated Help Hope Live supporter and volunteer board member for over a decade
- Has connected local families to our nonprofit for trusted medical fundraising
Supporting Hope
This year’s gala is over—but our mission’s impact goes on.
With your help, we can keep ensuring that a medical crisis never becomes a financial crisis.
Continue to support our mission by:
Making a donation right now
Signing up to attend a future virtual or in-person event benefiting our mission
Choosing Help Hope Live as your charity of choice on GivingTuesday (Dec. 3)
Sharing the content in our Latest blog, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter X, LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok profiles
However you give, your support sustains a nonprofit mission that changes thousands of lives every single year. Thank you for another year of hope, action, and impact.
