Chris Martin [Executive Chairman, C.F. Martin & Co., Inc.] and Thomas Ripsam [President & CEO, C.F. Martin & Co., Inc.] were recognized as the event’s Distinguished Honorees. Co-Chairs Vicki Doulé [Lehigh Valley Executive Vice President, Community Impact & Market Development, Capital Blue Cross], Laurie Hackett [Corporate and Community Relations, Air Products], Matthew Kennendy [Director of Custom Shop Sales, Administration, and Support, C.F. Martin & Co., Inc.], and Ken Telfort [Corporate Vice President, Business Process Excellence, B. Braun Medical, Inc.] were also recognized for their leadership of this event.
During the reception, we also auctioned off a custom-made D-28 Martin Guitar with a Valley Youth House mother-of-pearl inlay custom pickguard. The D-28 was fully crafted and donated by C.F. Martin & Co., Inc. It is a one-of-a-kind instrument that has an interior label signed by:
And a signature on its body by:
Guests were deeply moved during a speech given by Destiny Jarnagin. Destiny, who is currently a Life Skills Case Manager & Family Advocate for Valley Youth House, was also our Setting the Stage youth speaker nearly a decade ago when she was a member of our Adolescents Achieving Independence (AAI) Program. “I came into foster care when I was fourteen with my brother and five other siblings. You could say my life felt like a leaf in a wind storm,” she said. “Last October, a dream beyond reality happened when I was hired at Valley Youth House. Many of my clients are still in foster care or have experienced homelessness. With your support, we are able to help them get apartments, education, jobs and learn basic life skills to be successful. The work I do with Valley Youth House is truly a full circle moment for me.”
Pictured above: Destiny speaking at our 2017 Setting the Stage reception (left) and Destiny speaking at this year’s Setting the Stage with Rod Stewart event (right)
“The backing we received for this event demonstrates our supporters’ commitment to some of the most vulnerable children in our community,” said Thomas Harrington [President & Executive Director, Valley Youth House]. “Our job is to get young people into a safe space, and a positive environment where they can heal from any past trauma. And we do that by surrounding them with dedicated individuals like you.”
After the reception, guests enjoyed the Rod Stewart concert at the PPL Center.
Setting the Stage is Valley Youth House’s signature fundraising event, celebrating the significant impact supporters have on the lives of vulnerable individuals in the Greater Lehigh Valley region. All proceeds from the event will benefit the life-changing programs and services Valley Youth House provides to youth and families in our community.
