The Manor House Event Center recently hosted “OneCity En Blanc,” inspired by a Parisian tradition. The Dîner en Blanc concept began in Paris in 1988 when Frenchman François Pasquier invited a group of friends to an elegant outdoor dinner at the Bois de Boulogne, asking them to dress in white so they could find each other.
This gala may have been held on a night under sparkling light in Mason, Ohio, not Paris, but the 600-plus people who attended — all dressed in white — felt the same enthusiasm and elegance as if they were. They enjoyed delicious food, music and dancing in a united fundraising effort. A silent auction and live auction also added to the festivities. The event, subtitled “Shining Light and Providing Hope for Recovery,” did exactly that.
Gold sponsors were Merrill Lynch/The Cottrell Group and Crossroads Church in Mason. Silver sponsors included Bill and Kathy Kinane, John and Allison Brase, Vito and Laura Peraino, and Kingsley and Kelly Wientge. There were many individual and corporate silver and bronze sponsors, as well.
The Manor House was a presenting sponsor. Owners David and Janet Nelson were wildly generous in providing an unparalleled, first-class evening.
“This evening exceeded our expectations,” said event emcee Tim Senff, pastor of Crossroads Church in Mason and a OneCity board member. “This was the fourth annual gala we hosted. Initially, fundraisers have a high excitement and high involvement level and often wane. This was the best, most well-received, and high-level excitement gala so far. It was such a wonderful event — a lot of fun, but with a mission. We were united to bring change to our community. Nearly $350,000 was raised, the highest number to date.”
OneCity for Recovery is a faith-based non-profit organization. “All of us have struggles, and many people who struggle with addiction in their families feel that they are beyond hope,” Senff said. “We know that God offers hope for all of us. OneCity embodies that hope. Personally, I love how people’s lives are being changed and are getting a second chance at their dreams.”
“We say that you don’t need to believe what we believe, you just need to care about what we care about,” Senff added, referring to OneCity for Recovery. “The reason we are driven is because of our faith. Our faith compels us to be engaged in this work.”
The OneCity website self-describes this way: “We are a group of passionate and concerned citizens united in our dedication to addiction recovery.”
OneCity has been helping people in Butler and Warren counties struggling with addictions. It was announced at the event that OneCity is now expanding north into Dayton in Montgomery County. Under the guidance of campus pastor Andy Reider, Crossroads Dayton — a bronze sponsor of this event — will most certainly be involved in this endeavor. OneCity will also expand south into Cincinnati, in Hamilton County. This area of southwest Ohio has historically been known as ground zero for heroin addiction. Due to the good work of OneCity and its dedicated staff, volunteers, and partners, this areamay soon be known as the recovery epicenter.
In 2014, Warren County Common Pleas Judge Robert Peeler addressed a group of business leaders about the impact of heroin and opiates on the Warren County court system. Judge Peeler reported that more than 80% of his docket was dedicated to heroin and opiate-related addiction. He had understandable concern that his community was being eroded by this powerful epidemic.
“Statistics recently reported by the state of Ohio stated that there are more heroin-related deaths than any other state in America. It truly is the epicenter of the issue,” Senff said. “The opioid epidemic is the leading cause of death in Americans under age 50, recently surpassing car accidents. It is the public health crisis of our age and we said, ‘Something needs to be done.’ The next generation is going to ask us what we did about the opioid crisis. As OneCity, we have stood up.”
OneCity works in collaboration with willing partners to discover new ways to help battle addiction. The organization successfully utilizes fundraising abilities with formal events and individual donations as well as partnering with government, businesses and non-profit organizations.
OneCity takes great delight in aggressively sharing success stories. As their website states, “Battling addiction one soul at a time.”
OneCity for Recovery is located at 990 Reading Road, Mason, OH 45040. For more information, call 877.695.6333 or visit www.onecityforrecovery.org.
If you know someone struggling with substance abuse and looking for help, call 1-844-427-4747