THE SHOALS-Sponsorship opportunities for the Shoals Chamber Annual Celebration headlining inspirational speaker and abduction survivor Elizabeth Smart are raising interests. The March 19 event at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center offers speaker sponsors a private, VIP meet-and-greet and professional photo opportunity with Smart. Additional levels include joining Smart at the head table for dinner with the option to introduce her to the stage.
“Our annual event comprises more than 700 attendees, including community business leaders; city, county and State officials; educational professionals; and not-for-profit entities,” said Shoals Chamber President Caitlin Holland. “This is a fantastic opportunity to sponsor your business or community organization and make a memorable impact in 2020. It’s also a great way to treat your colleagues or clients to an evening with a person who persevered through an extreme hardship to become one of America’s leading spokespeople for families dealing with childhood trauma,” she added.
Sponsorship and individual ticket details can be found on the Shoals Chamber website. Interested parties may also contact the Chamber at 256-764-4661 for additional information.
Ten percent of the net profits for this event will be donated to the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, which seeks to prevent future crimes against children and equip victims, survivors and families with the resources and community they need to encourage hope and empower their future.
Elizabeth Smart
About Elizabeth Smart
The abduction of Elizabeth Smart was one of the most followed child abduction cases of our time. Smart was abducted on June 5, 2002, and her captors controlled her by threatening to kill her and her family if she tried to escape. Fortunately, the police safely returned Smart back to her family on March 12, 2003 after being held prisoner for 9 grueling months.
Through this traumatic experience Smart has become an advocate for change related to child abduction, recovery programs and National legislation. Elizabeth triumphantly testified before her captor and the world about the very private nightmare she suffered during her abduction, which lead to conviction.
Founder of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, Smart has also helped promote The National AMBER Alert, The Adam Walsh Child Protection & Safety Act and other safety legislation to help prevent abductions. Smart has chronicled her experiences in the New York Times best-selling book, My Story. In addition, she and other abduction survivors worked with the Department of Justice to create a survivors guide, entitled, You’re Not Alone: The Journey From Abduction to Empowerment. This guide is meant to encourage children who have gone through similar experiences not to give up but to know that there is hope for a rewarding life.
Smart’s abduction and recovery continues to motivate parents, law enforcement and leaders worldwide to focus on children’s safety. She emphasizes vigilance by everyday people and the belief that hope always exist to find every missing child.
Smart’s example is a daily demonstration that there really is life after a tragic event. Smart attended Brigham Young University, studying music as a harp performance major. She married her husband Matthew in 2012.
