Serve City Executive Director Tammi Ector said they’re hosting the event to showcase “all of the critical work that is taking place to serve our neighbors experiencing homelessness and hunger and just needing help.”
At the event, Butler County Commissioner Cindy Carpenter and Hamilton Mayor Pat Moeller will speak at the event.
“Just as those leaders have expressed interest in support, we are asking all community leaders and all of those in the community who care about Hamilton, who care about Butler County, to come out and see what we’re doing and how they can be a part of it,” said Ector.
In addition to Carpenter and Moeller, Ector said those in attendance at the gala will hear testimonials of success stories from past Serve City clients.
Tickets are on sale now, which are $50 per person or $90 per couple, and there are also Gold and Platinum level sponsorships available for the event, which is billed as a “celebratory evening reflecting on the ministry’s daily positive impacts throughout the city of Hamilton, Butler County, the region, and beyond.”
The gala will be an evening of live musical entertainment, professional photo opportunities, a raffle, and a silent auction, as well as fine dining. Tano Bistro on Riverfront Plaza in Hamilton will cater the event, which is important for the restaurant founded in Loveland by Tano Williams.
“Serve City does great work, and anytime that we can partner with an organization that does anything that they do, we will,” said Tyler McCleary, general manager at Tano Bistro. “We’re a restaurant, we serve food drinks of course, but our biggest thing is to give back to the community.”
It’s important to have an organization like Serve City, he said, because it’s important for a community to take care of its most vulnerable.
“Where else are they going to go?” McCleary asked of those experiencing homelessness. “There’s a certain percentage of people that are homeless for various reasons.”
The issue of homelessness cannot be ignored as it won’t go away and organizations like Serve City play an integral part in helping that population.
“One of the things that Hamilton is it’s a city that does something about it, and Serve City is one of those examples. It’s just doing good,” McCleary said.
Working with Serve City is also a creative way to impact a community’s labor force. McCleary and Williams were at a job fair at Serve City about six weeks ago, and the people they met were quality candidates and many had interesting backgrounds.
“There were really quality candidates we were able to talk to,” he said, adding that they try to be creative to attract and find people, “and just because they’re down on their luck right now doesn’t mean they’re not great people.”
Serve City has helped the city’s homeless population for more than two decades, providing holistic, wraparound services in the critical areas of housing, hunger, and assistance using a faith-based individualized approach. In 2022, Serve City provided temporary emergency housing for more than 700 individuals and permanent housing for 53. Additionally, it supplied groceries to more than 16,000 families.
How to go
What: Rejuvenating Dignity Gala
When: 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 21
Where: Community Christian Church, 3401 Millikin Road, Fairfield Twp.
Tickets: $50 per person, $90 per couple. Tickets may be purchased online at https://bit.ly/SCGala2023.
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