Good Neighbor Awards & Gala

By Kevin F. Adler

If you hear the words "gala" and "necessity" from a nonprofit, you might think that the nonprofit is referring to its need for a major fundraiser to help financially sustain its good work. And that would be partly true for Miracle Messages: our annual Good Neighbor Awards & Gala (GNA) is by far our biggest fundraising event each year, enabling our small but mighty team to help more people experiencing homelessness reunite with their loved ones, connect with a caring volunteer as a phone buddy, and/or receive a life-changing basic income, and the dignity that comes with it.

However, the Good Neighbor Awards & Gala was borne out of necessity for a different reason: we needed a way to express our immense gratitude to our volunteers, unhoused community members, partners, and supporters for enabling us to do this work. Without the countless hours given so freely by hundreds of volunteers, the incredible trust that our unhoused neighbors place in us, the professionalism and openness of our partners, and the transformative gifts from our supporters, none of this would be possible. And so, GNA was envisioned as a simple act of thank you: to you.