CULLMAN, Ala. – Guests were greeted by a visual display of statistics celebrating The Link of Cullman County’s achievements as its annual gala kicked off giving season Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023. Bright and airy greenery adorned tables and guests mingled, indulged in appetizers and placed bids on silent auction items donated by partners of The Link. Others settled in for an evening of recognition of key players who make The Link’s mission happen, and a celebration of the more than 21,000 instances of assistance in the community in the last year.
Executive Director Melissa Betts said the theme for the gala, “Planted,” came to her by answering a question she gets repeatedly: “What does The Link do?”
“So often people ask, ‘What does The Link do?’ We plant seeds in good soil, nurture that seed and watch it grow,” she explained. “People come to us in crisis or in need of support, and often in need of both. In crisis, we work to help stabilize, and when in need of support, we guide them through long-range planning. Either way, we are planting, nurturing and supporting growth in the lives of our Cullman County neighbors.”
Betts explained that “seeds” refer to the many programs The Link offers to better the lives of those in need in the community.
“That might be food assistance, rental assistance, counseling or therapy hours, case management, literacy tutoring or renewal or parenting courses,” she illustrated, saying that while many may have a vision of what they assume a typical Link client looks like, the nonprofit has ministered to students, youth, teens, adults, seniors and everyone in between. This kind of full-scale renewal doesn’t happen with just the eight members on staff, though, and recognizing the key players was a highlight of the night.
“There are only eight of us on staff and no way we do this on our own,” said Betts. “We have surrounded ourselves with servant-hearted volunteers who have come alongside us as ‘staff.’”
Board Chairman Ory Hampton agreed, saying, “We are so blessed with a great staff at The Link, but it takes so much more than a handful of people to assist in meeting the needs of our neighbors around us. We had the chance to honor several people whom we would refer to as staff-level volunteers – high-capacity people in the community who use their time, talent and/or treasure to answer the call of meeting our neighbors where they are and planting that seed of hope and relationship.”
Seven of those staff-level volunteers were given etched wooden plaques to recognize them for their efforts to better their community, their ability to work in tandem with The Link and the legacy left by them for the volunteers coming after them:
- Personal Pathways Award: Christy Lindsey
- Family Foundations Award: Heath Tinker
- Educational Enrichment Award: Hailey Kilpatrick
- Supportive Services Award: Jennifer Clark
- Youth Legacy Impact Award: Aliyah Guthrie
- Legacy Award: Don and Nancy McKenzie
While these volunteers are giving their all, Betts said there’s still room at the table for more people who have lived through the crises of life and want to help pull others out of their own crises, appealing to the community at large to continue planting seeds.
“If you have time to give, call us. We need your gifts, time and talents if we are going to continue to reach the big needs our community has,” she smiled.
To learn more about the services The Link offers or how to give back, visit www.linkingcullman.org.
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