Cowboy Boots Are A Must for 'Home on the Range' Gala May 6

The Mystic Area Shelter and Hospitality Inc.’s annual gala is set for May 6 at Mystic Seaport’s River Room at Latitude 41°. The Western-themed festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. and include a gourmet dinner, open bar and dancing to local country band, Ken Atkins & the Honky Tonk Kind. Attire is Western casual, with cowboy boots and hats encouraged.

The gala is the nonprofit agency’s primary fundraiser for the year. MASH’s mission is to provide family-focused emergency shelter and hospitality while promoting self-sufficiency. Since its founding in 1998, MASH has provided Emergency Shelter, Rapid Re-Housing and Homelessness Prevention assistance to more than 1,000 children and parents in southeastern Connecticut.

The need is greater than ever. In 2015, MASH served 71 families facing homelessness: 9 families in its emergency shelter with an average stay of 32 days; 14 families in its rapid re-housing program and 48 families through its shelter diversion program. Under shelter diversion, the families are found stable housing before they are forced to enter the homeless shelter system.

Being honored at the May 6 gala is Lisa Tepper Bates, the executive director of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness. Prior to taking over the helm at CCEH in 2013, Lisa was the executive director of MASH for four years. Lisa has worked tirelessly since 2009 to end homelessness in Connecticut, first at the local level with MASH and now at the state level.

Thank you to the event’s top sponsor, Melinda Elliott Carlisle, Broker/Realtor with Randall Realtors of Mystic. Corporate sponsorship and patron opportunities for Home on the Range are available. Tickets for the event are also on sale now, and seating is limited. Individual tickets are $125.

For more information, visit the MASH website at http://mashshelter.org/wp/special-events/