The event was almost a year in the making, and really took off when Hands4Hope Folsom Steering Committee member Randy Mintz (Designing Dreams Flooring & Remodeling) contacted the Nashville songwriters he knew, combining his love of music with his passion to support youth and community service. Randy and a dedicated committee worked to plan all the details of the event, including finding generous community sponsors to share in the vision, coordinating with Harris Center for the Arts, working with the featured artists, and adding all the “special extras” like the pre-event reception, post-event party, themed decor, Nashville Songwriters Live merchandise, and more.
Randy also coordinated the donation of several guitars to be autographed by celebrities including Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi fame, country music megastar Gary Allan, and the three
featured artists at the Nashville Songwriters Live event. The guitars were auctioned off during the event, raising more than $3,500.
The evening opened with a VIP Reception for sponsors and their guests. Off the Vine Catering presented delicious Nashville-themed food, while all enjoyed live music by talented Vista Del Lago Guitar Nation student performer Kasch Bowman.
The esteemed Jim Pelley served as emcee to guide the evening’s festivities. After a brief presentation by Hands4Hope Founder and Executive Director Jennifer Bassett, youth leaders Chloe Deiss and Mia George shared their experiences with Hands4Hope, and the audience was treated to the premiere of a video short about Hands4Hope.
Because of Hands4Hope’s focus on youth, it made sense to invite local youth performers to kick off the evening’s musical program. Guitar Nation, a cutting-edge program at Vista Del Lago High School in Folsom under the direction of Vince Martini, presented several captivating duos and trios, evoking a full range of emotion in the audience.
The featured performers, Jeffrey Steele, CJ Solar, and Mark Mackay, blew the audience away with their clear camaraderie and friendship with one another, their unscripted stories, and of course all their amazing talent and music. The audience was often singing along as the trio took turns sharing their chart-topping hits along with other favorite songs in an intimate, acoustic format.
The festivities continued after the concert at Back Bistro in Folsom, where guests savored good conversations, discussion about the performance, and thoughtfully-crafted food and beverages. Several students from Vista Del Lago’s Guitar Nation performed, and later on, CJ Solar and Mark Mackay performed as well, taking many requests. Their passion for music and performance, as well as their bottomless energy and enthusiasm, made for the perfect end to a memorable evening.
Committee members who made this event possible were: Mike Bassett, Andrea Howard, Lizzie Jacobsen, Leslie Jensen, Randy Mintz, Debbie Newell-Juhos, Lindsay Olson, Kathy Van Saun, and Meredith Wharton.
The event was sponsored at the Platinum level by Brightstar Partners Insurance Services, OTAT Golf League, and Designing Dreams Flooring & Remodeling; and at the Gold level by Dream Real Estate, Carlsen Muir Family Foundation, EcoGuard Pest Management, Folsom Times, Fergerson Financial, Nor-Cal Equipment Rental, and Westervelt Ecological Services. The media sponsor was Style Magazine.
This fundraiser supports the Hands4Hope – Youth Making A Difference Education Program at four Folsom schools, including Folsom Middle, Sutter Middle, Folsom High, and Vista del Lago High, in addition to its Community Engagement Program serving Mercy Creekview, Folsom’s Hope, Twin Lakes Food Bank, and Powerhouse Ministries, Inc. The proceeds from this event
will be used to help those most vulnerable in our community while teaching youth invaluable life skills of leadership and service.
Hands4Hope – Youth Making A Difference is a nonprofit, youth driven organization with the mission to inspire and empower youth in leadership and service. Hands4Hope offers hands-on education and community engagement opportunities to youth from K-12th grades through on-campus and after-school programs in Sacramento and El Dorado Counties.
For more information about Hands4Hope – Youth Making A Difference, visit www.hands4hopeyouth.org or call 916-294-7426.
