The Health Collective's 22nd One Big Event

The Health Collective's 21st One Big Event Was a Wonderful Evening
By any standard, The Health Collective's 21st One Big Event (OBE) was a remarkable evening. It was a great way to celebrate our 40th anniversary and to hold our annual fundraiser. We welcomed an enthusiastic and energetic crowd on Nov. 11 at the Hartford Marriott Downtown. They came to help us toast the past, present and future of our agency.

Executive Director David Grant and Board President and OBE Chair, E John McGarvey, welcomed the audience and thanked them for being a part of the evening. Anthony Crisci, CEO of our Biggest Sponsor, Circle Care Center, spoke of the groundbreaking initiative that launched The Health Collective and how we have grown and adapted over the years. During the dinner, David Grant spoke of the significance of the evening as we were marking a milestone in our organization's history and looking forward to a remarkable future. One where our presence and passion will be felt throughout the state. We also had a special endorsement from Hartford Mayor, Luke Bronin, a longtime ally of our agency.

From this preamble, Auctioneer Lynne Zink proceeded to motivate the crowd to help us fund the programs and services we are famous for. The attendees responded with generous donations that will make a significant difference in the coming year. Next came the Live Auction. This is always a highlight of the evening as zealous bidders competed for outstanding prizes such as dinners at Present Company Restaurant and Bear's Smokehouse BBQ and fun-filled excursions to Mystic, Broadway and Puerto Rico. When you throw in the Silent Auction, there were many very happy winners by the end of the night.

The evening went into party mode as DJ Cajar spun tunes that got everyone on the dance floor. A great time was had by all and we have the evidence to prove it. Check out the photos below: not a sad face in the bunch.

When you throw a One Big Event, you have a LOT of people to thank. We are ever so grateful to so many people. A BIG Thank You to our Biggest Sponsor: Circle Care Center and our Seriously Big Sponsors Adams & Knight and The Hartford and Wells Fargo and all our sponsors. We also want to acknowledge our program book advertisers, Auction Donors, volunteers and the attendees. Here are a few of the photos from the evening taken by Matthew Whitaker. There are more at his website, The Missing Lens.