In the beginning, it was personal for Kevin Gardner.
It still is, quite frankly. But the small cancer fundraiser he and business partner Mike Ford started almost a decade and a half ago to honor their mothers, both of whom had battled breast cancer, has grown to become much, much more.
In that first year, it raised some $55,000 for cancer care on the Northshore, which would be considered a success by any standard. Last year, however, THE Gala – now a fixture on the local social calendar and the premiere fundraiser for St. Tammany Hospital Foundation since 2018 – raised $212,000 for St. Tammany Health System’s cancer services, nearly quadruple the amount from those early days.
And all because of the vison of two friends who love their mothers and their community.
“Every year, I’ve been super proud of how it’s grown,” Gardner said recently, reflecting on the event’s evolution. “We started it in the early years basically at a restaurant. It evolved into an event at Franco’s Athletic Club, in their gymnasium, which they prettied up. Once the foundation took it over, it really went to a different level. It really became a true, significant, professionally managed fundraiser.”
Not to mention a whole lot of fun, with each year bringing a suitably whimsical theme ranging from Willy Wonka to disco to “Into the Woods”-style fairy tales – each with food, drinks, music, silent auctions and other themed embellishments.
“Getting to work with Kevin is a true gift. His passion for quality cancer care paired with his in-depth understanding of how it takes a community, led by the business sector, to support large-scale fundraising endeavors like THE Gala, makes him the perfect ambassador for this work,” foundation Executive Director Nicole Suhre said. “His leadership has made all the difference in growing this event to what it has become and in everything that it will achieve in the future.”
Although the foundation today handles the heavy lifting from a logistics standpoint, Gardner is still very much a driving force behind THE Gala through HUB International, the global insurance broker for which he serves as vice president – and which remains the event’s title sponsor.
It all ties into his belief in giving back to the community, both from an individual and a corporate standpoint, and it all gives him a well-earned sense of accomplishment.
“The part that’s most gratifying is how it got so many people involved,” said Gardner, who also serves in a volunteer capacity as vice chairman of the foundation’s Board of Trustees. “One initial snowball rolling downhill got all of our employees excited, involved, engaged. Today, it’s not just us. There are so many people involved. It just takes a small snowball rolling downhill to make your community a better place.”