3rd Annual DC Gala

By John Mizerak
We had the privilege of hosting our 3^rd annual Gala in Washington, DC on August 4^th and the beautiful Army Navy Country Club just outside our nation’s capital in Arlington, VA.  We had a full room of over 200 attendees this year, many of which were new to the ministry.  The night began with a VIP reception on the rooftop terrace overlooking Washington, DC and the Washington Monument.  The 18^th hole of Army Navy wasn’t too bad either!  We had beautiful weather and met a lot of new friends.
The program began with our local Mighty Oaks Foundation board member, Senior Pastor David Baird, of The Life Church in Manassas VA, followed by Executive Director, Jeremy Stalnecker.  Chad Robichaux shared his personal testimony of overcoming the challenges posed by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after service in the War of Terror, that led to his calling to assist individuals who are going through the same struggles he experienced.  In a moment where Chad felt called to do this work, he realized he wasn’t the only one who suffered.
 
The evening ended with a riveting presentation by Sgt. Maj. Kent, who has had a varied and distinguished career serving our nation in the United States Marine Corps.  Sgt. Maj. Kent assumed the post as the 16th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps on 25 April 2007 and served in this position until 9 June 2011.  After visiting a Virginia Mighty Oaks Men’s Legacy Program in 2016 he became a vocal advocate for Mighty Oaks, joining the Advisory Board later that year and is an active supporter of Mighty Oaks around the country.
 
We want to thank our DC team and the many churches who rallied to make this event a reality.  We were able to raise both funding AND awareness and we’ve even locked in our DC Gala date for 2018.  Mark your calendars for Friday, April 13^th, 2018 at Army Navy Country Club once again!