Last Saturday, we hosted our third annual Consider the Lily fundraiser at our farm. The dream to plan, organize and host a fundraiser was birthed by my husband’s desire to advocate for this organization that is near and dear to our hearts.
Consider the Lily was founded by a family friend of Ryan’s, Josie Long, whom he went to high school with in Manila, Philippines. She is Mama to the 72 girls in the two CtL homes. Consider the Lily rescues girls from sexual abuse and gives them a long-term family and provides a safe home. Jesus is at the center of everything CtL does, teaching the girls to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They are very intentional about helping their girls understand there is HOPE through Jesus Christ.
The wholistic approach to healing and restoring is what has us fully bought in to CtL’s mission to fight exploitation in the Philippines. It is not a foster home or orphanage, but rather it is HOME & FAMILY – where the needs of the whole child are met – physical, mental, medical, educational, emotional and spiritual.
You can learn more about Consider the Lily HERE.
Meet the Consider the Lily family. 💚
In 2020, Ryan and I were able to take our four kids to the Philippines for two weeks (we actually had to end our trip two days early as covid was unfolding and shutting things down). On this trip, we had the opportunity to visit one of the CtL homes and meet all the girls. We brought boxes of donated clothing and other necessities, and it was like Christmas in March! It was such a memorable trip, and one we plan to do again with our kids.
This year we had to bite the bullet and rent a tent as Hurricane Ian was coming through. Last year we had to move our event into one of the barns at the last minute, so at this point we know we just have to roll with the weather.
Lots of trips bringing stuff over on the golf cart…
…and the Gator…
The kids are always part of the event, so they get put to work as well…
This year we had a team around us, which made it way more efficient, excellent and FUN! I am amazed and humbled by the time, energy and talent that we partnered with this year. I even had one guest tell me, “this was WAY better than last year!” 🤣
Leading the charge with fundraising expertise was Darren Heater, who is an AV and tech guru. There is no way we could have pulled this off without him. His son, Caleb, helped and put in a 10-hour work day! Darren’s better half, Charity, came through with not only lending her hubs and first-born, but also lended beautiful lanterns and helped with setup. My girls were put in charge of setting up the dessert table. Of course.
Welcome to the party!
My sister-in-law, Meg, helped man the welcome table with me. She, as always, is the brains behind admin logistics, keeping us organized and operating smoothly. From guest lists, to table assignments, name tags and taking notes at each team meeting, she did it flawlessly and all the while juggling being a mama to four kids under nine. Ryan’s brother, Logan, was actually in the same graduating class as Josie, which is really how we all came to know her personally. Logan did the behind-the-scenes connecting and all things people and relationships.
My father-in-law built a stage for the band and got the grounds all prepped.
This year we had the Executive Director, Kim Hommel, fly in from Arizona to help us and be a part of the event. She also runs Alam Ko Jewelry, a non-profit that was created to bring freedom to Filipina women by employing them for their amazing artistry. Many times, the abuser is a family member within the home, so when the male breadwinner is prosecuted and put behind bars, it leaves the mom to fend caring for the home and kids alone. Alam Ko employs family members (moms, aunts, sisters) of the rescued girls at Consider the Lily. You can find out more about Alam Ko Jewelry HERE.
This year each guest went home with earrings of their choice as a thank you. Aren’t they so beautiful and creative?!
You can SHOP for jewelry HERE.
We had a generous donation from our friends, Dylan and Shannon Glasgow at Shore Sign, who gave us the amazing gift of an entrance sign and parking signs! David Parsons (high school friend of Ryan’s) designed a logo for us, used on our signs.
We are getting super official over here! 😜
We used our catering option from last year, Mission BBQ…
…and brought in a bartender from Kindred Spirits to serve beer and wine. Last year they brought in their mobile bar, which ended up not being visited because the weather went south and no one wanted to go out in the rain to get their drink. This year, we LOVED their option of a bar table over two large whiskey barrels. It was such a perfect addition to the barn setup!
Enjoying our evening of live jazz, food and friends…
It wouldn’t be a party without the besties…
{Billy and Heather, we missed you!}
These girls are no fun. No fun at all.
For live music this year, Ryan’s colleague and friend, made the trip from North Carolina with his jazz band. It was perfect! Marvin kept it lively with a little surprise in the middle of the second set…
…where he called up these four guys to sing (also colleagues). The Fab Five traveled from North Carolina, Ohio, Florida and New Jersey to be with us and were such good sports with their backup singing debut!
So.much.fun.
Our goal for the evening was to raise $50,000 to purchase a vehicle for the CtL family. A couple days leading up to the event, Ryan and I started feeling the pressure of raising enough money to meet our goal. We so badly wanted to be able to present Josie and the girls with a vehicle! Well, not only did we end up raising the $50K, but we were able to triple that amount! Totaling almost $160,000! 😭 We were (and still are) blown away by the generosity of so many, as well as the kindness of Jesus to use our little farm gathering to financially bless and support Consider the Lily.
If you would like more information, feel free to reach out to me. If you are interested in donating, you can do so BY CLICKING HERE. If you want to become a monthly supporter, you can SIGN UP HERE.
Happy Friday! My three younger kids have a four day weekend, I’m off to go soak up time with them! xoxo
