Story provided by Payne County Youth Services
*Update: This event has been cancelled. Please see our editor’s note at the bottom of the post for additional information.
Payne County Youth Services is accepting reservations and sponsorships for their 12th annual fundraising event, “An Evening to Remember,” set for Thursday, April 23rd at 6:00 p.m. This year’s event will be held at the McKnight Center for the Performing Arts at Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater.
You will not want to miss this year’s theme “Where Every Child is a Star.” Entertainment will include a three-time Golden Ticket recipient and Hollywood contestant on American Idol, Tony Foster, Jr. PCYS will also be bringing back local student performers from Stillwater High School orchestra and OSU Saxophone quartet. “While the individual students may or may not have ever been clients of PCYS, they are representative of the population we serve,” said Janet Fultz, PCYS Executive Director. “We are excited to showcase the students from our schools and to bring our donors and supporters closer to the children, youth, and families that are assisted by our programs.”
“We have a lot of new elements this year that I know you will enjoy, which include a wine pull, $50 raffle tickets for three great trip destinations (need not be present to win), a live auction for additional, higher-value trips, and a few surprises. And don’t forget a wonderful catered meal by Freddie Paul’s and a cash bar!”
“This is our major fundraising event each year,” said Dale Sorrell, Chairperson of the PCYS Board of Directors. “Our guests always have a great time while supporting the essential services PCYS provides to the communities we serve. It’s going to be a great evening for a worthy cause.”
“In honor of the rich and long history of PCYS providing high-quality free services for over 47 years, PCYS continues to bring more awareness to the community of the range of services that are provided for FREE,” continued Sorrell. “Sponsors of “An Evening to Remember” will receive recognition on advertising and event media through sponsoring ‘An Evening to Remember.’”
“PCYS provides a variety of services to all of Payne County, with our largest number of clients coming from Stillwater and Cushing,” said Fultz. “PCYS never charges directly to families for services, so successful fundraising is critical to our ability to meet our mission to provide free quality services for the positive development and recovery of children, youth, and families.” Fultz continued, “Federal and State legislation and funding for homeless youth, victims services, and mental health services are currently at significant risk in Congress. We must prepare for the worst and raise local dollars to avoid any future cuts in our services. Community support is even more important than ever!”
The cost for “An Evening to Remember” is $75 per person. Sponsorships include: Event Presenter, $3,000; Event Sponsor, $1,500; Table Sponsor, $1,000; Friendship Sponsor, $500. Premium sponsorships included free drink tickets. Sponsors will receive additional recognition prior to the gala and after the event. Everyone can help with our fundraising event by simply going to the PCYS website and Facebook page and sharing and emailing the event information to all of their contacts. The multiplicity of social media is one of the great opportunities for people who may have never supported us before to get involved.”
For reservations, purchase raffle tickets, and secure your sponsorship, please go to www.pcys.org, contact Britney Hardin, at [email protected], or call 405-377-3380. Reservations for sponsorships, tables, and individual reservations may also be made on the PCYS Facebook page or by mail to Payne County Youth Services, 2224 West 12th Avenue, Stillwater OK 74074.
*Editor’s Note: Shortly before uploading this issue to the printer, many local businesses and organizations had begun announcing cancelations for events and activities due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic. At the time of printing, we had not received notice that “An Evening to Remember” would be postponed or canceled but we were aware that given the rapidly changing situation, this could change. We have chosen to run the original story as submitted in an effort to highlight the importance of the mission of Payne County Youth Services and encourage our readers to find additional ways to support this nonprofit.
