On Thursday evening, Bellewood & Brooklawn welcomed supporters to its 10th annual Harvest for Hope fundraiser, a key event for the organization’s mission to serve children and families facing adversity throughout Kentucky.
Event highlights and purpose
The evening featured a five‑course farm‑to‑table dinner, each course prepared by a different chef, followed by a live auction and recognition of volunteers and donors. President and CEO Chris Teeley described Harvest for Hope as one of the nonprofit’s biggest fundraising opportunities and a chance for guests to see the work happening on the Brooklawn campus firsthand.
“We always say, if we can get you to our campus, we gotcha because you can see the good stuff that the team’s doing,” Teeley said.
Comprehensive trauma‑informed services
Bellewood & Brooklawn provides a range of trauma‑informed supports, including residential treatment, therapeutic foster care, adoption services, family preservation, independent living programs, and outpatient therapy. The organization serves children from all 120 Kentucky counties.
In the residential program, children live in cottages, attend school on‑site, and receive individualized care. Teeley emphasized the goal of keeping families together whenever possible, noting that when a child must remain in residential care, the staff work diligently to reunite them with their family once it is safe.
“Sometimes a child has never been in a safe space for a variety of reasons,” Teeley explained. “That’s a pretty big deal for our kiddos to be in a place where you can start to think about the future and think about hope and think about what you want to do next.”
Capacity and impact
The average residential stay is three to four months. Bellewood & Brooklawn can accommodate about 60 children at a time and serves roughly 300 children annually through its residential program.
Recent funding includes a $2.5 million grant from the state of Kentucky for the next two years. Much of the grant will be used to reopen cottages, expanding the organization’s capacity to serve more children in need.
Holiday traditions for children
As the holiday season approaches, staff members work to create special memories for the children in their care, including a Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas decorations. “The goal is as much normalcy in their life as we possibly can have,” Teeley said. “Some of these kids have never had a Thanksgiving dinner. Some of these kids have never had a Christmas.”
Proceeds from ticket sales, sponsorships, auction bids, and donations directly sustain these programs and help maintain a stable, nurturing environment for Kentucky’s most vulnerable youth.
How to support
Community members who wish to contribute can find more information on the organization’s website, where details about upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, and donation options are posted.
Original reporting: WLKY Louisville — read the source article.
