Bright Futures Gala: Beyond Bright!
Presented by
Our 40th Anniversary Celebration and Fundraiser was on Friday, May 9, 2025, at the Park Place. With 236 attendees, this special event was our largest gathering of supporters of The Children’s House. The decorations nodded to the past with photos and names of our alumni on the wall, and toward the future: 260 colorful paper birds hung from the ceiling, representing our current student body. Founder Gretchen Uhlinger captured everyone’s attention, further connecting our community with our mission. Guests were invited to add a memento to a time capsule along with submissions from all of our classrooms to be opened in 40 years!
Because of your support, the gala raised over $122,000, bringing us only $26,000 away from our goal!
Special thanks to Scott Goodreau for speaking on behalf of the board, Steve Maas and Andrew Lutes for being the emcees, Arielle Sika for her beautiful photography and slide show, Jen Lake for graphic design, Misha and Jeff Neidorfler for the event space concept, and our parent volunteers: Emily Kolassa, Hanna Lee-Kleb, Edith Queeny, Brittany Lister, Jen Harty, Elaine Tait, Paul Danielson, Raina Kessel, Christine Veneziani, Stephen John, Janelle Yule, Erika Spaulding, Kate Bailey, Sarah Kebler, Chelsea Scott, Lindsay Smith, Meghan Colombo, Arielle Castine, Ashley Johnson, and Pam Amundsen.
We proudly premiered this video at the gala. Watch to learn about our school outcomes through an alumni lens and current students' perspectives.
Still curious about the video we didn’t show at the gala? This video was teed up by Andrew before realizing it had been struck from the event lineup! In honor of our 40th anniversary, Michele Shane, Steve Maas, Alison Breithaupt, and DiAnn Service reminisce about their long careers at our school. Enjoy!
Sincere thanks to our sponsors:
Founders Circle Sponsor: High Street Insurance Partners
Gold Sponsors: Events North, Freshwater Development, Independent Bank, All Ethos, Brick & Corbett, Rehmann, Northwestern Michigan Dermatology, Mark and Karen Lundmark, Associates in Dermatology, Maier Ceramics, Traverse City Orthodontics, Dr. Madelyn Stumpos, TVC Cherry Capital Airport, and Neidorfler Group
Silver Sponsors: The Beverage Co., Beers & Lints Family Dentistry, Alfie, 4Front Credit Union, Suzanne & Jason Allen, Trattoria Stella, Cass Street ENT, and The Schofield Family
Bronze Sponsors: Carlton + Company, Paige Lee Interiors, Golden-Fowler Home Furnishings, Down to Earth Landscaping, Sandbox Alliance, TBA Credit Union, JNR Auto, Heather Burger, Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realtors, Shugart Builders, isee Communications, Adventure Golf & Sports, Form Modern Pilates, Modern Bird, Julian | Black Wealth Management, D&W Mechanical, National Writers Series of Traverse City, and Williams Chevrolet
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