Important Update: Evening for Haiti Rescheduled to September
Due to unforeseen circumstances at the venue for this year’s Evening for Haiti, we have regretfully decided to reschedule the event to September 8th. Below, you will find an email from Executive Director Wynn Walent to all ticket holders, detailing the change and introducing alternative ways to support our partners in Petit Trou this weekend. We deeply appreciate the continued solidarity and engagement of our supporters—whether you join us in person in September or at our upcoming events this Sunday and Monday.
Dear Friends,
On Monday morning I received a call from staff at the Tivoli, the venue for this year's Evening for Haiti, informing us that several events from last weekend were canceled due to continuing demonstrations on the Auraria campus quad, where the Tivoli is located. I've remained in touch with their team and have conferred with members of our Board, as well as our generous event sponsor, Haulistic LLC, in assessing the best path forward.
We regret to announce that we're moving this year's Evening for Haiti event to Sunday, September 8. We are truly sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
The reason for the postponement is that the risk of a last minute cancellation by the venue, as occurred for their events last weekend, would inconvenience you, our guests, and potentially compromise our ability to raise funds necessary to complete the new hospital. Simply put, the success of this year’s Evening for Haiti is too important to risk a potential last minute cancellation.
We feel that changing the date now gives us the best chance to ensure the successful event that our partners are counting on. By making this decision today, we will not lose any deposit or advanced payment towards the event, ensuring that the generous sponsorship of Haulistic LLC is used to its full effect and that all funds donated at Evening for Haiti go where we all want them to—to support locally led work in Petit Trou, as opposed to potentially covering lost event deposits or payments.
As you likely know, this year's Ted Lewis Award is being presented to Teresa Henry, an honoree who is so very worthy of our admiration. In addition, Johnny Verneus and Dr. Vanessa Suffren, two of our key leaders in Haiti, are currently in Colorado. Johnny, Teresa, and Vanessa are excited to spend time with supporters and share updates and reflections, and we are glad to announce that this Sunday May 5th @ 5 pm, we're hosting a FREE event at St. Mary Magdalene in Boulder/Gunbarrel. This gathering is not replacing Evening for Haiti, but will create a chance to spend time with these inspiring leaders this weekend. (We’ll also have a Haitian food truck, drinks, Haitian music, and more.)
The Evening for Haiti Online Auction has been trimmed to include items and experiences that are perfect for the summer. Bidding for those will close on Monday night after our online Zoom event, which is happening as planned. The rest of the auction items will be live again in September. The link you received previously for the auction is still valid.
Please know that we are truly grateful for your support, and again, we apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause. We hope you can join us for a beautiful Evening for Haiti, Sunday September 8, and if that date does not work for you, your tickets are fully refundable.
Please feel free to reply to this email with any questions or comments. I can also be reached at the numbers below and would be happy to chat with you any time.
Thank you for your patience, support, and understanding,
Wynn Walent
Executive Director
wynn@locallyhaiti.org