The Ark honors advocate at annual gala on Sept. 12

The Ark Assessment Center and Emergency Shelter for Youth's 14th annual gala will be held Thursday, Sept. 12, at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds. The keynote speaker will be Pamela E. Toohey, founder of the Birth Parent Association.

Toohey founded Birth Parent Association in 2007 and has more than 24,000 hours of practice in counseling and case management. Using a real-life case presentation, she will take attendees on one family's journey into the depths of drug abuse, prostitution and child neglect and child endangerment, followed by its climb back into society.

Msgr. Louis Kihneman III, Vicar General for the Diocese of Corpus Christi, will do the invocation and KIII TV-3 News Anchor Joe Gazin will serve as the master of ceremonies. Manuela Shull's piano students will provide the background music. Also included in the program are a live auction conducted by Marty Wind, remarks by board chairman Rene Esquivel and comments by Delma Trejo, the organization's executive director/administrator. Diana Dodson and Edelia Treviño are the gala chairwomen.

The silent auction will feature more than 200 items. The live auction will include four Southwest Airlines tickets and use of a luxury suite at Whataburger Field for up to 16 guests during an evening Corpus Christi Hooks baseball game.

Proceeds from the gala will go toward continuing to offer quality program services that make a difference in the lives of the abused and neglected children housed at the shelter.

This year's gala is dedicated to the memory of the Msgr. Robert E. Freeman, PA who served the Ark as a strong advocate, counselor, friend, spiritual advisor and benefactor. Sept. 16 will mark the 10th anniversary of his death.

Tables seating 10 are available. Individual gala tickets are $60 apiece and can be purchased at the door. Parking is free. The Regional Fairgrounds are located at 1213 Terry Shamsie Blvd. in Robstown. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Those who cannot attend but would like to make a tax-deductible donation may do so by mailing it to The Ark at 12960 Leopard Street, Corpus Christi, Texas 78410. All contributions will be acknowledged, and any amount sent will help the shelter to work toward meeting the residents' needs.

The Ark, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, is the only licensed facility within an 80-mile radius that is contracted by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to provide assessment services and emergency shelter for up to 37 children and youth ages 0 through 17 who are removed from their homes by Child Protective Services (CPS) because their lives were in danger due to physical abuse, sexual abuse or neglect by a parent or guardian.

Everything required for the residents' well-being is supplied for up to 90 consecutive days while they are being evaluated for placement in an appropriate, long-term site where their needs can be met.

For more details, please call Trejo or Sister Milagros Tormo, MJMJ, board president, at (361) 241-6566.