I have always loved the Preservation Parks of Delaware County since moving to Lewis Center in 2012. We’ve written about our beloved parks often over the years.
I’ll admit though, I have felt even more fondness for the parks – and almost a sense of ownership – since joining the park district’s Foundation board in 2022.
That’s why I am so thrilled that I got to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of Preservation Parks this summer!
The Preservation Parks Foundation board hosted a gala fundraiser in June to support the parks district and raise money for the Bicentennial Barn project at the incredible McCammon Creek park along Bale Kenyon Rd.
We wanted to host the event at one of our parks, but none of them have an event space that matched the caliber of gala we had in mind. Ironically, the very Barn that we’re raising money for will – once complete in a few years – be exactly that!
In the meantime, we selected Swan Lake Event Center, a gorgeous wedding and event venue in Delaware County not far from one of our parks. Swan Lake is everything we had hoped for: stunning outdoor surroundings plus a lovely interior, too, so we could have our event half indoors and half out. That way we weren’t dependent on the weather for a successful gala!
Because this event was our 50th-anniversary party, celebrating the park district’s humble beginnings in 1974, naturally we chose a groovy 70s disco theme.
Themed 70s attire was encouraged, but cocktail garb was also welcome. I loved seeing how many of my fellow Gen Xers and others dressed in funky 70s attire including tie dye, crochet, bell bottoms and so much more! I sported a cute black wrap dress with an impressive fringe. Z took one look and told me I was “bringing grandma style back” but hey, her comment had the word “style” in it so I’m taking it as a compliment.
The event featured great food, signature drinks, entertainment and a meaningful program with remarks from our Foundation board president and the executive director of Preservation Parks. Our keynote presenter was Tom Schmid, CEO of the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium. There was also a VIP encounter with Columbus Zoo animals for donors and sponsors above a certain level of giving.
For me, the highlight of the night ended up being the part I was most nervous about going into the event.
As the culmination of our evening, we planned a live fundraising auction with a real auctioneer to raise money for the McCammon Creek Barn project. Our goal was $5K on paper, but all of us on the Foundation board were secretly hoping to raise twice that amount.
The lively auction took only five or ten minutes and was a huge hit. Would you believe we received pledges for five times the amount of our original goal? It was so much fun and our guests seemed to love it as much as we did. I was so happy that the auction went so well that I found myself in a flood of happy tears!
Hosting a big, first-of-its-kind event is always a risk for a small nonprofit organization and board. We were all a bit anxious leading up to the gala, but our staff and volunteers doubled down on high-quality details and more than met our fundraising goals. I’m happy to share that we hope to make this an annual event for Preservation Parks.
I hope you’ll attend with me next year!
