First and foremost, on behalf of Grace and our entire family, I want to say: thank you. Thank you for showing up tonight—not just physically, but emotionally, spiritually, and with such open and giving hearts.

When our beautiful Grace suffered a stroke on May 25th, her world changed in an instant, and so did ours. What followed were some of the most difficult days of our lives—filled with fear, uncertainty, and challenge. But through that darkness, something remarkable emerged: this community. Friends, family, coworkers, neighbors—many of you stepped up, and some of you barely even knew us before this happened.

This benefit isn’t just about raising funds—it’s about raising hope, and today you’ve given us so much of it.

Every donation, every raffle ticket, every shared post online, and every kind word has made a difference. Your support means Grace can afford critical therapies, medical equipment, and the kind of ongoing care that insurance just doesn’t fully cover. It means we can focus more on her recovery and less on worry.

I want to give a special thanks to our benefit team: my boss Hillary Kittner for helping us host this event; Neil Pawlowski for taking care of the delicious food; and to our dearest friends, Charles Sciascia, Alyssa Wenke, Lindsey Simon, Andrea Poletchetti and Jackie Vesona.

You went out in the community to get donations, and you worked hard behind the scenes and brought this event to life.

Thank you to Olivia White for creating the design for “With Strength and Grace”. To everyone who helped sell tickets, make baskets, volunteers who helped set up this morning, all the sponsors, performers, and everyone who helped make today so beautiful—you’ve done something truly powerful. And to those who donated from afar we feel your love just the same.

Recovery from stroke is a journey—long, slow, and often frustrating. But it’s one we no longer walk alone. You’ve made that clear today.

From the bottom of our hearts: thank you for your generosity, your love, and your belief in healing.

We will never forget this day, or the kindness that brought us here.

To Grace, Michael and Delilah, we are all here for you and we love you!

Sincerely,
Janel Duggan