WHAT. A. NIGHT!

In partnership with Band Together and La Fête Planning & Design our annual fundraising event, An Evening to Ignite, was a night to remember! Hundreds of individuals came together in support of our 2024 charity partner, Neighbor To Neighbor, a local non-profit dedicated to reversing the debilitating effects poverty has on the most vulnerable families in Raleigh. They believe in providing long-term, one-on-one mentoring relationships for teens resulting in positive generational leaps in education, employment and personal development. 

What started as an idea and a dream in 2017 to bring together community members and events industry vendors to make a large-scale impact for one local, grassroots nonprofit has become a reality and grown into an annual event that raises over $150,000 each year! With the amazing support of our sponsors, vendors and local community, we are so proud to announce that we raised $201,933.32 for Neighbor To Neighbor! Every single dollar that was raised will help bring to life Neighbor to Neighbor’s dream of a state-of-the-art teen tech center that will create more training pathways, mentorships, and employment opportunities for youth in our community. We cannot wait to see this space realized!

The success of this event is due in large part to the generosity of our vendor community and their contributions of time, effort, staffing, materials, inventory, and talents. Over 40 local event industry vendors came together to donate over $250,000+ of goods and services to ensure 100% of the proceeds raised during the event went directly to Neighbor to Neighbor. Year after year, our vendor friends continuously raise the bar by outdoing themselves and helping make Evening to Ignite bigger and better than the year before. We are eternally grateful to be in such a collaborative and talented industry!

VIP CHEF'S DINNER

We kicked off An Evening To Ignite 2024 with a VIP Chef’s Dinner at the historic Heck-Andrews House, located just a few steps away from Merrimon-Wynne!

Guests were treated to an inspired multi-course dinner prepared by HL Catering, wine pairings sponsored by Westgate Wine and an elevated bar experience sponsored by Trophy Brewing Company. Amidst delicious cuisine and friendly camaraderie, Neighbor To Neighbor's Program Manager, Spencer Hathcock, made a special announcement about the future of Neighbor To Neighbor! A dream four years in the making is finally coming to fruition - the building of The Neighbor Teen Center, a 4,000 sq. ft. space that will not only enhance their comprehensive approach to youth development, but will also be the beginning of a brand new initiative, Neighbor Media! 

The VIP Dinner concluded with moving thank you letters from Neighbor to Neighbor to the attendees, expressing the sincere appreciation for the community support of a place that holds special significance to Neighbor to Neighbor participants.

MAIN EVENT

Following the intimate dinner at Heck-Andrews House, we welcomed our guests into a Whimsical Wonderland designed by La Fête Planning and Design at Merrimon-Wynne! As guests arrived, they strolled through a tunnel of over 10,000 colored balloons by Xceptional Balloons and were greeted with a unique champagne wall created by Greenhouse Picker Sisters, before stepping into a clear top tent from Curated Events designed to transport attendees into a world where imagination knew no bounds and every corner held a surprise waiting to be discovered.

At every turn, fun details unfolded - a kaleidoscope of colorful draping by Party Tables, lighting by Get Lit, delicious cocktails by Merrimon-Wynne, small plates by Rocky Top Catering, and beautiful blooms by Once Gathered. The evening was filled with an abundance of unique activities - carnival-inspired games, an adult-sized ball pit, hand-spun cotton candy, swings hanging from the rafters, stilt walkers, Poetry Fox, live music by Sleeping Booty Band, confetti cannons and so much more were all seamlessly woven together to craft an unforgettable evening!

We are amazed by the extraordinary design and experience curated by our exceptional vendor team that was captured so beautifully by Jillian Knight Photography and Matt & Meredith Films. It was truly gratifying watching everyone joyfully eat, drink, dance and most importantly raise money for such a deserving cause! The air was electric and the energy was unmatched. 

THE AFTER PARTY!

Before bidding farewell to the evening, we kicked the festivities up a notch with a lively after-party courtesy of Rocky Top Catering!

Complete with an epic silent disco with music mixed from Bunn DJ and All Events DJ and light-up dance floor props galore, it was the perfect finale to one of our most-cherished nights of the year!

WRAPPING UP

To all our event sponsors, thank you so much for partnering with us to serve our community in a tangible way and for helping us raise $60,200 through sponsorships alone! Your immense generosity made this event possible and we could not have made such a large impact without you!

To our attendees, thank you for helping us make this the party of the year! We’re so appreciative of your willingness to spend your evening with us in support of Neighbor To Neighbor! We are beyond excited to see all that the future holds and the change that Neighbor To Neighbor will continue to make in our community.