Steve Stodghill had had a long day on Monday, March 2. The attorney had cooled his heels in the jury pool all day with the results being he was to return the next day.
So, when he returned home, he faced a house full of people. Instead of heading for a safe room, he snapped into host mode immediately. No complaints because the occasion was for the LaunchAbility Toast. Besides wife Anne had everything under control.
Before the presentation took place on the staircase, guests caught up. Randall Goss was solo because wife Kara with daughter Kate Peterson…Piper and Mike Wyatt were on hand but with signs of dried tears. They had lost their dear, elderly Labrador Godiva. It was a heartbreaker on the heels of recently losing their Lab Toby…The Stodghill were also dog lacking with the demise of Labrador Zeus. Word has it that they shifting directions and considering a Samoyed rescue. Son Dash was also interested in an orange tabby.
Longtime LaunchAbility supporter Sharon Herrin took her place on the stairway and welcomed guests gathered in the entry hall. LaunchAbility CEO Kathryn Parsons told a brief history of LaunchAbility and told how the “A Special Evening with Dana Carvey” was going to be something.
But on this evening, the focus was on the toasting of the 2015 Milton P. Levy Jr. Outstanding Volunteer Awardees Laura and Ellison Hurt and Stacey and Nicholas McCord, who have been longtime supporters and launched the original “A Special Evening…” event back in 2002. In acknowledging their being named as the recipient, both Laura and Stacey attributed the success of the event’s first event to the Stodghills. Of course, Steve couldn’t let that slide by without a follow up, “It didn’t hurt to have Tony Bennett on stage.”
Artist Brad Oldham, who created the award was without wife Christy Coltrin, explaining that she was touring colleges with one of their kiddos.
After accepting the award, Special Evening Co-Chairs Regina Montoya and Paul Coggins thanked the crowd and told of the raffle items including a last minute add involving Honorary Co-Chairs Kathryn and Craig Hall.