Josiah Kopp
Photos by 5Foot20 Design Lounge, provided by United Way
Our community wouldn’t be the same without United Way of Cass Clay. The organization has made an impact in the region by solving complex community issues, like homelessness, hunger, closing the skills gap and helping children be ready to learn. For decades, they have been improving lives by activating resources and creating lasting social change.
Such impactful organizations deserve equally as impactful events. In the future, with more charitable organizations adopting a more modern approach and introducing themselves to software (you could look here) and other tech-related aspects, hopefully, they can do great things for people and society alike. Avalon Events Center is making sure that happens for Fargo’s nonprofits and charities like United Way.
On September 18, 2019, United Way of Cass-Clay hosted its annual United Way Kick Off Event at The Avalon. This event celebrates the incredible work that’s being done in Fargo-Moorhead while also giving attendees the opportunity to learn and be inspired by the work they’ve achieved. By encouraging volunteering and investing, this evening inspires the community to rally under the ideal of “LIVE UNITED.”
A big part of the event is the opportunity for United Way to share real stories of impact. By sharing these stories in this manner, they can show attendees the tangible work they are achieving. Lead Content and Public Relations Strategist of United Way of Cass-Clay, Kristina Hein-Landin, shared, “Knowing that the individuals who attended this event will be inspired to go back to their workplaces and share how United Way is making a difference makes me feel hopeful for our community. My favorite part is seeing this positive ripple effect come to life.”
The event’s variety of speakers included words from Jamie, a mother who received United Way’s services and was able to overcome homelessness and heal emotional scars; Amy Feland, a workforce development case manager, who explained how she helped people in poverty overcome barriers and get the support and job training they need; and Ken and Danielle Paulus, United Way of Cass-Clay’s 2019 Volunteer Campain Chairs who spoke on why they are passionate about the cause and why they decided to invest in United Way.
“Hosting an inspiring and impactful Kick Off Event is crucial to our organization because we know that when people are inspired, they are motivated to take action to help their community,” said Hein-Landin.
As the premier event center in Fargo-Moorhead, The Avalon most notably hosts weddings, corporate events, private parties, concerts and more. But beyond these events, they especially enjoy the relationship they have with hosting nonprofits. For a nonprofit event, The Avalon charges no fee, making room rental and cleaning costs complimentary. The only charge for such events is the cost of food… something quite unheard of in their industry.
By providing opportunities for nonprofits with these special rates, The Avalon achieves its goal of being a positive impact on the community. Beyond galas and large-scale events like the Kick Off, The Avalon can do everything from small breakfasts and brunches to steak dinners for donors. From happenings for 20 people to 2,000, they want to make sure all nonprofit’s event needs are met.
Having hosted a number of nonprofits’ events, The Avalon knows how to execute the perfect event. By letting the Avalon team take care of event details like room set-up, lighting, food and overall planning, United Way could be confident that their event was going to be all that they dreamed of, while not having to step away from their important day-to-day work.
“The Avalon helped our team by providing choices and suggestions for event layout, traffic flow, seating options and multiple settings for our social,” said Hein-Landin. “Because they have a wealth of knowledge to draw upon and have helped coordinate many businesses and nonprofit events, they helped us give our event attendees a memorable and enjoyable experience.” In addition to these things, The Avalon made menu suggestions that fit within their budget and helped determine an event diagram that properly honored and thanked United Way’s sponsors.
“They made the planning process smooth and enjoyable, even right up to event set up and the day of the event, which we all know can sometimes be stressful – not when The Avalon team is on the job!” said Hein-Landin.
Hein-Landin noted that integral in making this event happen was The Avalon’s General Manager, Joe Gudding. Of working with him and the Avalon team, she said, “He is organized, helpful, kind and a calm leader that helped our entire team feel comfortable and confident during both the planning and execution of our event. […] Their team even took time to document and record some ways we could improve our event and use our small food budget more effectively so that those details could be discussed for the following year and changes could make our event even more spectacular.”
Something that sets Fargo apart from so many similar-sized cities in the United States is its culture and spirit of generosity. What sparks this spirit of generosity is not only the individuals in the area, but the businesses, as well. Avalon Events Center is proudly among the number of businesses in town that strive to do good. With members of the community rallying around causes like United Way and businesses like The Avalon, Fargo is right on track to remain a truly great place to be.
