Here we are 2 weeks post party and I almost don’t know what to do with myself. Gone are the days of countless texts, emails, decisions and details that whittled my brain down to a scrambled mess. For weeks leading up to the event, I felt like a tiny ball in the pinball machine of life. I have a new found respect for the amazing fundraisers we have attended just imagining what the behind the scenes were like and the army of people it must have taken to pull it off.
Did we pull it off? I think so. And yes, we had an army!
At 4:20pm that evening my family had still not showered. We were running around frantically trying to tie up last minute details. Guests were arriving at 5pm! Thankfully, our amazing staff, board members, and volunteers (75 total) were faithfully there to miraculously put it all together before the first guests arrived at 4:45!
It was a tidal wave of people rolling in after that, 350 total. 100 more than we had planned! It was all a blur as I greeted guests thinking in the back of my mind the many to do’s that I had left hanging. It had to be surrendered. Our guests seemed happy to be at Kapalai and the party had begun! The buzz around the cocktail tables as people began to enjoy the pupus was fun to watch. Beer and conversations were flowing, so much so that it took Kihei, our emcee, several attempts on the mic to get everyone seated.
The best part about the menu is that everything on the table, with exception to the pork in the lau lau, was raised, caught, gathered, grown and prepared either at Kapalai or by friends. I think the food was extra delicious because of all the love that went into every dish. We have had a flood of comments about how much people loved the food and how it touched their hearts. Many kupuna shared they hadn’t had food like that since they were children. Ahhhh, YES! That is exactly what we were hoping for. All the dropped details just faded away.
During dinner folks mingled through the silent auction and reconnected with friends, the buzz was contagious. I had just sat down to do the same, (I barely got to visit with anyone – my apologies) when the dreaded moment came! Dean came to grab me. It was time for the formal part of the program. The time in which all I was asked to do was to share about our journey for the past 10 years and acknowledge those who had been a crucial part in getting us here to this point at Kapalai. I was secretly hoping that we would scrap this since everyone was anxiously waiting for the musicians to start. No such luck, I followed Dean to the front and what happened after that is a complete blur. The only thing that I heard come out of my mouth was blahblahblahblahblah. To this day, I have no idea what I said but I can assure you it was not what I intended! Complete brain meltdown. I couldn’t find any of my thoughts. My brain just said, “Nope, I’m done. Enough already! You overloaded me and I’m not coming back tonight!” It was an important life lesson for me. Just say no! I have realized my limitations. I cannot be the coordinator and the communicator. Choose one or the other.
“So will you do this again next year,” was the question of the evening as guests departed around 10pm. That is like asking a woman who just went through labor if she is ready for another one! Maybe ask us in 6 months after the pain of labor has faded and all that remains are the memories of an enchanting evening spent with friends.
Is it worth it to do it all again? Absolutely! We exceeded our goals and raised enough to fund our intern program for over 6 months. But that was not the only intent behind our efforts to pull off our first ever fundraiser. The real intent behind the whole evening was to celebrate the abundance of Ke Akua and to thank all of those who came alongside us, believed in the crazy vision and jumped in, literally, to help us see it through. These moments in life require taking time out to acknowledge the process, celebrate the success and refresh for what lies ahead. For our new friends who were able to join us, we need your support! It takes a village to build a healthy community. We invite to journey with us.
Whether is every year, every other or in the next 10, we look forward to celebrating with you again! Just give us a few moments to regroup.
He Hālana i Kapalai! What a night to remember!