When I think of Homecoming Day, I tend to think about the massive amount of work that goes with it--the organizing of groups and items to make everything seamless for attendees.
But every year after benefit--tired and exhausted as I am--I am so excited that I am almost ready to do it all over again.
The whole weekend is a high-energy, mountain-top experience, and it's a little sad to see it slip away into the files and folders of past Homecoming Days.
This year has been a little different for us. Until a few days ago, we honestly didn't know what would happen to the benefit. People were canceling events well into the year, small businesses that supported us in years past were out of work and struggling financially.
But we set a deadline. We would press on as though there were no question in our minds until the middle of June, and then we would decide.
With much prayer and deliberation, we have decided that we should call off our annual benefit--at least in the format that we're used to.
We don't know what this means for our Home yet. The implications of not having a benefit are financially unfeasible. We rely heavily on the generosity of our supporters on benefit weekend. The fact is, we need our benefit.
Yet, here we are, canceling it.
So, yes, there will be something coming this August. We don't know exactly what--we are in the process of figuring out the best way to do things--but there will be a fundraiser.
Stay tuned on our website or Facebook page for more details coming up in the next few weeks.