The evening of April 16th brought together our early childhood community in Durham to celebrate Durham’s Partnership for Children’s 30th Anniversary. At the Cotton Room among eucalyptus and white rosebuds, we highlighted 30 years of building brighter futures for young children across Durham County. Our guest speakers included the Partnership’s Board Chair and Durham County’s Director of Public Health, Dr. Rod Jenkins, President of the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Amy Cubbage, Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt, State Representative Zack Hawkins, and the Partnership’s Executive Director, Kate Irish.
The celebration started with a cocktail hour featuring a raffle of two Bull City baskets, which included generous in-kind donation items from local Durham businesses. We also witnessed a beautiful performance by the Durham Children’s Choir, who brough joy and hope into the room through its melodies.
The event’s speakers offered moving remarks throughout the evening. Esteemed guest, Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt, reminisced on her late father Governor Jim Hunt’s legacy, “If you want to change the future, you start with the children.” We couldn’t agree more.
The Partnership was honored to receive a recognition plaque from Representative Zack Hawkins for 30 years of service to our community. We also surpassed our fundraising goal, raising $31,000 to support our future!
As the evening closed, Kate Irish, the Partnership’s Executive Director, reminded us, “There is so much we have already done in 30 years and so much more that we can do when we breathe, stand tall, and take action together.”
We eagerly look towards our next 30 years and appreciate all of our attendees, donors, sponsors, and supporters that made our night a huge success!
Check out our event photos on our instagram or facebook!
Written by: Kristen Luft, Community Awareness Manager
