We are back! Last year’s anniversary event at Main Line Brewery was such a success that we are back this year better than ever. Please join us Thursday, May 11, 2023 at Main Line Brewery for our annual event to celebrate CHSVA’s many accomplishments and provide support for an even brighter future! Last year’s event drew in almost 300 people from our community, all of whom showed up to support our mission of building strong, permanent families and lifelong relationships for Virginia’s at-risk youth.
During the night, guests enjoyed delicious food from several local food trucks as well as great beer and hard seltzer from Main Line Brewery. Attendees also participated in a silent auction and raffle while listening to awesome live music by The Way Down Wanderers.
Silent auction prizes included gift cards to various local businesses, such as coffee shops, spas, record stores, and restaurants. Bigger prizes included unlimited Hot Yoga Barre classes, a private wine class, piano playing for a private party, travel planning, a date night package to Hotel Greene, and a seafood dinner prepared in your home by a prestigious chef. 
The hottest ticket item turned out to be the “Barrow of Booze,” which you’ll be happy to know is making another appearance this year! Last year’s barrow was stuffed to the brim with craft beer, wine, and high-end liquor valuing at more than $1,000!
We raised more than $150,000 last year from sponsorships, in-person tickets, streaming tickets, silent auction bids, raffle tickets, pledges, and text-to-give. We are determined to make this year’s event even more successful! Thank you to anyone who gave last year – your continued support means the world to us and the youth and families we help.
This year’s event will be similar to last year. Not only will the event take place at Main Line Brewery, but we will have several different local food trucks on site, live music, a guest speaker, and a silent auction. Also, one of our wonderful adoptive families will be there to speak about their experience.
Your event ticket includes two tickets for appetizers from three incredible Richmond food trucks, two drink tickets for Main Line Brewery craft beer and hard seltzer, and a souvenir cup that can be used for drinks during the event. The event will take place from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and will be 18+.
Second Annual Celebration Event
Keynote Speaker | Rob Scheer | Founder of Comfort Cases
We are excited to welcome Rob Scheer as our guest keynote speaker.
More than forty years ago, Rob entered foster care by walking up to his foster home carrying a tattered and torn trash bag. He aged out of foster care at the age of 18, became homeless, and was once again left to carry his possessions in a trash bag.
Years later, Rob and his husband, Reece, decided to grow their family through foster care. Cut to four children arriving on their doorstep with their belongings in tattered and torn trash bags. Rob and his family decided it was time to eliminate the use of trash bags within the foster care system once and for all. Comfort Cases was born in 2013.
There are more than 391,000 youth in the United States foster care system. Most of these youth are removed from their homes with little more than the clothes on their backs. If they do have any personal belongings, they are given a trash bag in which to carry them.
Comfort Cases believes that every child deserves to feel a sense of dignity. That is why Comfort Cases aims to provide backpacks to youth entering the foster care system. Backpacks are filled with comfort and personal items like pajamas, blankets, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner, lotion, soap and body wash, deodorant, stuffed animals, coloring books, novels, journals, pens and pencils, and more.
To date, Comfort Cases has served more than 150,000 children in the foster care system.
Rob is also the author of A Forever Family: Fostering Change One Child at a Time. Rob’s memoir tells the inspiring story of his journey from foster care to foster parent and his drive to rebuild a broken system.
Guests will be able to purchase a VIP Meet & Greet ticket separately from the main event ticket. This special meet and greet includes not only time to meet and talk with Rob, but a reception with food, drinks, and a copy of Rob’s book.
Live Music | Heinsohn & Day
This year entertainment will be provided by Heinsohn & Day, a groove-based, harmony-infused acoustic guitar duo.
Heinsohn & Day combines the sweet brother-like harmonies of classic vocal groups Simon & Garfunkel and The Everly Brothers with the lead guitar-driven grooves of The Allman Brothers Band and Dire Straits. They have toured extensively throughout the Atlantic Coast and Southeast, most notably joining their friends the Indigo Girls on stages in Atlanta, Nashville, and at Wolf Trap.
Local Food Trucks | Boka Tako | Curry in a Hurry | River City Wood Fire Pizza
Three different food trucks will be on-site all night.
Boka Tako is an “exquisite fusion” of Asian and Mexican flavors. They use only seasonal ingredients, and their goal is simple: Amazing food served with a twist.
Curry in a Hurry offers a taste of India with British flavor. Offering fresh ingredients, exotic spices, and aromatic flavors, Curry in a Hurry will deliver a “mouth-tingling” taste!
River City Wood Fire Pizza believes life is too short to eat bad food. Their pizza dough and red sauce will be sure to stand out. Eating here will be “an experience you’ll remember!”
Main Line Brewery | Craft Brewhouse
Main Line Brewery is a craft brewhouse located along the Richmond Railway that offers a wide, curated selection of beer and hard seltzers. Enjoy the night out in a wide-open venue with indoor and outdoor seating for you, your family, and your friends!
During this event, guests will also be able to hear a personal experience from one of our adoptive families.
Support Virginia’s At-Risk Youth
Become a Sponsor
If you would like to sponsor our event, there are many different ways to do so. We offer several sponsorship tiers, ranging from Friend to Presenting Sponsor. Together, we can change the lives of Virginia’s at-risk youth and provide them with a brighter future!
Buy Tickets
The money we received from last year’s event allowed us to serve 144 foster children during our 2022 fiscal year, place 89 children with a family, serve 55 adoptive parents, and finalize 48 adoptions. None of this would have been possible without your support!
During the 2022 fiscal year, we were able able to provide 24 youth with safe, quality housing, employ 92% of the youth enrolled in our My Path Forward program, connect 100% of our My Path Forward youth with a permanent adult mentor, and provide 100% of our My Path Forward youth with mental health counseling.
It is our hope to beat the $150,000 raised last year, but we need your help.
Support an at-risk youth and buy tickets for the fundraising event here.
We hope to see you Thursday, May 11th, for a wonderful evening of celebrating 123 years of building strong permanent families and lifelong relationships for Virginia’s at-risk children and youth!
To help us get the word out, please share this blog post on your social media feeds and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for news and updates.
To see our incredible youth who are waiting for a permanent, loving home, click here.
See you soon!