The Solace Tree is celebrating 10 years of providing service to the community with a special event, Butterfly Wishes, co-hosted by the National Association for Catering and Events (NACE), at The Grove (95 Foothill Road), on Thursday, March 6, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. The evening will include a live auction of art created by Solace Tree children and teens, entertainment by the Reno Youth Jazz Orchestra and others, silent auction, 50/50 raffle and live music. Tickets are $75 a person and can be purchased online.
Guests will be treated to signature cocktails: Butterfly Kisses (vodka, St. Germaine, fresh blackberries, cranberry & lime juice) and the Garden Party (vodka, fresh herbs, lavender syrup, citrus Juice, soda /water), as well as a menu of epicurean delights created by The Grove Executive Chef Shakka Moore. The menu includes:
• Trio of duck – smoked duck breast, duck confit & duck bacon
• Grilled watermelon, crumbled feta, basil & balsamic reduction
• Fig, goat cheese, prosciutto cigarillo, port-pomegranate reduction
• Much more will be featured, along with some surprise epicurean delights
“It is in line with the core values of the NACE organization to give back and support local charities, so when we were connected with the Solace Tree it was a great fit for both of us,” says Kate Patay, CPCE, of the Reno-Tahoe NACE Chapter. “Putting on a celebration of this magnitude is what we do best!”
“Our goal is to provide children, teens, and adults an opportunity to express, acknowledge, normalize and integrate their grief experience,” explained Solace Tree Executive Director Emilio Parga. “And all of those things require fund-raising. We’re very excited to get to work with the amazingly talented people with NACE to throw such a great event that celebrates the past 10 years while also helping us move into the future.”
In its ten years of service, this local non-profit organization has:
- Served 4,837 children and teens (as well as 1,932 adults)
- Developed a special session for teens dealing with teen suicide
- Met the needs of about 50% of those who have experienced loss in Northern Nevada
- Produced eight books: A Different Way to Grieve, The Solace Tree, Love Never Stops, I Will Never Forget You, No Child Should Grieve Alone, Out of The Shadows, Kids Can Cope, Kids Can Cope Too
- Trained more than 100 volunteers, who have provided more than 125,000 volunteer hours
- Facilitated/participated in 700 speaking engagements and 85 workshops
- Hosted eight Grief Camps at Lake Tahoe for 153 children and 50 teens
- Provided services for people from 12 cultures and seven religions.
Click here for a downloadable pdf of the Solace Tree’s 10-Year Report.
The Solace Tree receives no government funding, instead it is supported entirely by private donations and professional training fees; and rely on the generosity of individuals, businesses and foundations. “We are so grateful for the community support that has allowed us to help these families,” said Parga. “We’ve accomplished a lot in the last ten years, but there’s still so much more to do,”
For more information, visit www.solacetree.org.
