A Night for Nature 50th Anniversary Fundraising Dinner

WOW – we’re still over here reeling about ‘A Night for Nature’ and all the fun we had celebrating 50 years of protecting the environment and educating our community on the importance of nature to our health in Berks County.

The evening started with our lovely guests strutting down the ‘moss carpet’ into a woodsy whimsical themed dinner party. Our locally sourced passed hors d’oeuvres and food stations including pasta, steak, and Southeast Asian inspired food were delicious! A huge thank you to our Berks Nature Ambassador and 50^th anniversary dinner planning committee member, Katie Montgomery, for sharing her baking talents with us by providing yummy vanilla matcha and black forest cupcakes.

Our president, Kim Murphy, kicked off the evening by sharing the history, growth, and successes of our organization throughout the years. It was a great trip down memory lane and exciting to dream about the possibilities of the next 50 years.

The silent auction was the star of the show with 22 donations from local organizations and businesses. We can’t wait to see our winners experience their adventures such as a boat trip on Blue Marsh and a kayaking trip down the Schuylkill.

It was great to have our Education and Land Teams represented, having great conversations with guests about our protected land maps of Berks County and creating our “Thank you for growing with us” fingerprint tree.

We are so grateful that Brooklyn Bluegrass Collective was willing to make the trip to lil ‘ole Berks County to provide our music for the evening! The chill vibes of the bluegrass tunes were the perfect accompaniment to the relaxed soiree atmosphere.

What a hit the photobooth was! It was awesome to see our guests get silly and strike a pose – although it was clear that Globey stole the show. Pedro, from V and P Experience, LLC, was so much fun and really helped us feel comfortable.

Between tree plantings and eco-camp, community programs and managing gardens, and so much more, it’s often hard to find time to slow down and celebrate our successes. The culmination of our anniversary and this dinner provided a great space for us to exercise this new organizational value. All of our team thoroughly enjoyed having a night to enjoy each other, our supporters, and to celebrate all of our accomplishments in these last 50 years.

A sincere thank you from us to all of you for allowing us to reach this huge milestone and share the celebration with you. We would not be where we are today without the continued support of our community. We appreciate you and can’t wait for the next 50 years ????

By: Kaitlyn Tothero, Events and Visitor Experience Manager