Meet Dawn Seay

Dawn, can you walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Prior to moving to South Florida, I worked in sales in the meetings and conventions industry in Philadelphia and Washington DC for several years. The transition to non-profit fund development was a natural, as the idea of engaging people to support a mission has many similarities to sales, except you are selling an intangible item. Fundraising is all about identifying people who have a passion for your cause and illustrating the impact of their support. One thing many people do not realize is that State funding for non-profits, if even available, covers only a percentage of the costs to effectively provide programs and services for an organization. The rest of the money comes from donor support.

Passion is a key element for all successful development professionals, as well as the ability to be an impactful “storyteller”. People need to know how their support will make a difference and it is incumbent on you to help them make the connection. Event planning skills from my time working in hospitality are very helpful in planning and managing fundraising events such as galas and 5Ks.

We’ve heard great things about your organization. For our readers who might not be as familiar, can you please tell them about the organization?
In addition to being a foster care community, SOS Children’s Villages Florida (SOS) offers a program called “Next Steps” which is designed to provide a continuum of services for young adults who have aged out of care at eighteen. This is a critical time in a young person’s life where support and guidance can make the difference between a person stays on a trajectory towards success or falls to the wayside and becomes a negative statistic. Services include assistance with securing affordable housing, teaching financial literacy, employment assistance, childcare service assistance, educational support, and much more. Next Steps is not only open to former SOS residents, as we have 200 young adults from Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade Counties enrolled in the program. I am most proud of the fact that we are shattering the negative statistics and perceptions by some of what foster care looks like. We are helping re-write the narrative by having 100 percent of our high school earn their diplomas for the past fifteen years straight when the national average graduation rate for foster youth is around 30 percent. Our young adults are becoming outstanding professionals in their fields – we have an attorney, architect educators, healthcare workers, social workers, business owners; you name it we more than likely have someone on their way to excellence in a particular field! It is important for people to know that children in foster care, through no fault of their own, end up in a less than desirable situation. When given opportunity, combined with personal resilience gained through working through adversity, the outcomes are phenomenal.

NICOLE LEWIS has been a great friend to us and I know you’ve got a great relationship as well. Maybe you can tell our audience a bit about NICOLE and your experience with them.

Nicole has been a dedicated contributor to our cause and assisted us for the second time with the Hope and Home Gala. Her unwavering support made a significant impact on our mission. Now, let’s dive into more details about our Hope and Home Gala.

THE WHITE BALL was not merely an event; it represented a powerful movement focused on raising awareness, increasing support, and securing essential funding to celebrate the achievements of our youth. That year, we had set ambitious goals, aiming to raise over $700,000. It provided a unique opportunity for our supporters to witness the profound impact of their contributions on our mission, ultimately raising over $750,000.

Last year’s event featured a heartwarming story that deeply touched the hearts of many. A sibling group of eight children, along with their devoted mother, attended and shared their inspiring journey at the gala. All eight children found refuge at the Village while their mother battled addiction, with the youngest arriving at just three days old. Through resilience and hard work, their mother overcame her challenges, and after two and a half years, she was granted reunification with all her children.

At SOS, we understand that life can present setbacks, and often, the difference between children ending up in foster care is linked to economic hardships and a lack of family resources. Our organization is dedicated to providing parents and children with the support and resources they need to stay together, with reunification always being our primary goal in foster care.