Girlfriend Gala Set For Pickett Place…Success By 6 Fundraiser

FLORENCE– The United Way of the Shoals Success By 6 initiative will host its 2nd annual Girlfriend Gala March 13 at Pickett Place in downtown Florence.

The 2013 event generated more than $14,000 for school readiness programs. Success By 6, which is partly funded by the United Way of Northwest Alabama, also relies on its own fundraising in order to implement its community programs.  Success By 6 supplies free books to children under the age of six, educates children on new and exciting ideas, and brings volunteers into the classroom to interact and read with students.

“Last year’s event was a tremendous success, especially being the first year,” says Leslie Pigg, chairwoman of the 2014 Girlfriend Gala. “But we’re looking to grow our numbers this year, and we have some exciting changes in store. For the price of a $60 ticket, we can supply an area child with a book every month for 18 months.”

The Girlfriend Gala will feature live music, food from local restaurants, pop-up shops from local retailers, a silent auction and a table decorating contest featuring local designers.

“Thanks to business support and financial contributions, we were able to host our annual fundraiser for nearly no cost at all, meaning most of the money we raised went straight back to our school readiness programs,” says Julie Trapp, last year’s event chairwoman and Success By 6 committee member.

Studies indicate that children who are read to, do better in school and in life than those children who are not.

“Early childhood development is the key in breaking the cycle of poverty,” says Crystal Macgruder, director of Success By 6. “Our goal is to supplement the resources that are already out there and fill in the gaps. Of the four year olds in the Shoals area, only 21% are enrolled in Pre-K programs in Lauderdale County, 23% are enrolled in Colbert County, and 26% are enrolled in Franklin County.”