Judi's Place for Kids plans third annual Storybook Gala at Star City Strand

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Judy's Place for Kids is set to host its third annual Storybook Gala on November 14th at the newly reopened Star City Strand in Prestonsburg. This year marks a significant milestone as the organization takes full ownership of the event, moving away from previous collaborations with CASA to manage it independently. The gala will feature a variety of fundraising opportunities, including an auction for unique items and bourbon, all aimed at supporting the charity's core mission. Tickets are currently available for purchase on their website, and donations are still being accepted to help reach their financial goals. The proceeds from the event will directly fund extracurricular activities for children in need and support therapy graduation celebrations. Specifically, the funds help provide gifts and host parties for young people who have successfully completed trauma therapy programs at Judy's Place. Executive Director Kimberly Lee highlights that these initiatives are crucial for ensuring that vulnerable children can engage in positive community activities and receive the necessary emotional support to heal and thrive. Kimberly Lee also noted a steady increase in funding over the past three years, expressing optimism about surpassing previous donation totals. A major highlight for this year is the involvement of country music star Chris Stapleton and his foundation, Outlaw State of Kind, who have become a significant sponsor. Thanks to this partnership and other contributions, the organization has already raised approximately $20,000 with an ambitious goal of reaching over $30,000 by the end of the night, building on the 15,000 to 20,000 dollars typically raised in prior years. Reporting for Mountain Top News, Nick Collam covered the event details and emphasized the growing community support for Judy's Place. The combination of local engagement, celebrity sponsorship, and a dedicated team working independently demonstrates the organization's resilience and expanding reach. As preparations continue, the focus remains on maximizing donations to ensure that more children can access the vital resources and celebrations they deserve through this annual tradition.

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Judy's Place for Kids is preparing to host its third annual Storybook Gala on November 14th at the Strand Theatre in Prestonsburg. Donations for the event are still being accepted and tickets are on sale on Judy's Place's website. Executive Director Kimberly Lee talks about how they're planning on hosting this year's event. >> So this will be our third annual one. Um previously it was with CASA. So this is our third one that we're taking on by ourselves at Judy's Place. And this year it'll be November 14th at the Star City Strand that just opened back up. And that night we'll have auction items, silent auction items. And um we'll have bourbon for auction. We'll have our fund and aid that are those go to kids that need extracurricular activities to be involved in and it helps fund those. It's also for our therapy graduations that we have here. So it any kids that um graduate from our trauma therapy, we usually throw them a little graduation party and that helps fund a gift for them and some of that celebration that we'll have. >> Lee says the number of donations received over the years has only increased. They are aiming to raise over $30,000 this year to put back into their local programs. >> Over the last 3 years increasingly we've gotten more funding for it. Um this year one of our sponsors is Chris Stapleton and his foundation with the Outlaw State of Kind. So that's a big deal. Um we've not had a ten ten thousand dollar sponsor in a long time. But it's grown each year as far as the funding that's came in. I think this year we're already at about $20,000 that we've raised. Our goal is $30,000 or more. Um but the years past it's been about 15 to 20 that we've gotten and so we're hopeful that this year will outraise all of those. >> Reporting for Mountain Top News, I'm Nick Collam.