Igniting Hope: A Night of Glitz & Glamour
Thursday, September 17, 2026 • Pavilion at the Angus Barn
Step into the sparkle for Igniting Hope, a Studio 54-inspired evening of dinner, dancing, live auction excitement, and dazzling impact. This year’s event brings together friends, supporters, and community leaders for a glamorous night out in support of the Foundation of Hope’s mission to conquer mental illness through research.
Guests will enjoy an unforgettable evening filled with exceptional food, music, dancing, and the energy of a community coming together for a purpose that matters. Dress to dazzle — if it shines, shakes, or shimmers, wear it!
Individual tickets are $250, and tables are available for $2,500. Every ticket, table, auction bid, and gift helps fuel life-changing mental illness research and brings hope to individuals and families across our community.
Registration opens soon!
Gala History
Igniting Hope was first imagined in 2020 as a fresh, high-energy event to complement the Foundation of Hope’s signature Evening of Hope gala. While the original plans were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the vision remained: to create a new kind of experience filled with music, dancing, celebration, and purpose.
In 2022, Igniting Hope came to life and quickly established its own identity as one of Raleigh’s most fun and meaningful nights in support of mental illness research. With dinner, dancing, music, and a lively atmosphere, Igniting Hope gives guests a chance to celebrate hope in a completely different way.
Take a look at our 2025 Gala video to see the powerful work your support is making possible.
EVENING OF HOPE & IGNITING HOPE SPONSORSHIPS
Are you a business or individual interested in sponsoring the Evening of Hope and Igniting Hope? We’d be grateful for your help! Click the button below to learn more about the benefits of becoming a Foundation of Hope event sponsor. The work of the Foundation of Hope would not be possible without the generous support of our local and national sponsors.
We are grateful for tax-deductible donations of cash or in-kind contributions, and we make every effort to promote our sponsors’ involvement with the Foundation.
We partner with businesses for year-round support and event-specific donations of time, goods, funds and/or manpower.
If you are interested in sponsoring the 2025 Evening of Hope and Igniting Hope events, please call us at 919-781-9255 or email Blair at blair@walkforhope.com.
September 2025 Event Photos
Visit our Flickr gallery to see all of the glamour of our September 2025 Evening of Hope and Igniting Hope events!
Our 2025 Sponsors
Presenting Sponsor
Speaker Sponsors
Hope Sponsor
Auction Sponsors
Pavilion Sponsors
Reception Sponsor
Paddle Sponsor
Travel Sponsor
Band Sponsors
Program Sponsors
Beverage Sponsor
AV Sponsor
Thank You to Our Generous Auction Donors
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to each of the individuals and businesses listed below for their generous contributions to our auction. Your support makes it possible to strengthen our mission and fund breakthrough mental illness research.
Al Thomas – Legacy Woodworking
Arrow Tree Boutique
Bald Head Blues
Beaufort Charters
Bentwinds Country Club
Bettie Goodwin
Big Air Raleigh
Blue Water Spa
Bob Rankin
Brier Creek Country Club
Buffaloe Lanes North
Bulluck Furniture Company
California Closets-Raleigh
Cantina 18
Carla Parker Hollis
Carolina Ballet
Carolina Exotic Car Club
Carolina Hurricanes
Chapel Hill Restaurant Group
Charlotte Motor Speedway
City of Oaks Catering
Corneille Little
Country Club of Landfall
Courtyard by Marriot Riverfront New Bern
Crumbl Cookies
Currey & Company
Dean and Gail Bunce
Debbie Robbins
Deep River Sporting Clays and Shooting School
Design by Tula
Diamonds Direct
DRINK
Drybar
Elite Island Resorts
Emily Webb Design
Fallon’s Flowers
Fleur Boutique
Game on Escapes & More
Gonza Tacos y Tequila
Goodnights Comedy Club
Green Front Furniture
Grotto Bay Beach Resort & Spa
Hampton Inn in Wrightsville Beach
Hand & Stone Message and Facial Spa
Henk Schuitemaker
Highsmith Wine and Wanderings, LLC
Homewood Nursery & Garden Center
Hotel Bennett
Hughes Wood Designs
Ironwood Golf & Country Club
Island Breeze
J.McLaughlin
Jackie Locklear
Janie Lawless
Julia Fellers-Green/JuJu Green Art
Kaizen Autosports
Kannon’s Clothing
Kimberly Blaser
Knight’s Play Golf Center
Kristin S. Kash
Ladyfingers Market & Eatery Raleigh
Larry Dean
Legacy Woodworking
LJ & Diana Yenni
Lochmere Golf Club
Longleaf Golf & Family Club
Lonnie Poole Golf Course
Lorena Luca Med + Spa
Luxe Curated Collection/Carolyn B. Walker Art and Design
Marbles Kids Museum
Martha Anne Emory
Maxamillian’s Grill & Wine Bar
Meadowbrook Inn
Meghan Rosenthal Art
Melanie Regner
Mike and Patti Fralix
Mix 101.5 WRAL-FM
Mollie Winstead & Caroline Regner
Monkee’s of Raleigh
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, UNC-Chapel Hill
Museum of Life + Science
NC Courage
Next Level Customs
North Carolina Football Club
North Carolina History Museum
North Carolina Museum of Art
North Carolina Zoo
Oak Steakhouse
Omni Amelia Island Resort & Spa
Peregrine Restaurant and Carolina Exotic Car Club
Peter Millar
Pinehurst Resort & Country Club
Pink Palm Spa
Ponysaurus Brewing Co.
Prestonwood Country Club
Quaintance Weaver Restaurants & Hotels
Queen Nails
Quintessentials
Raleigh Orchids
Rebecca Rheney
RecovR Modern Wellness
Reedy Creek Golf Course
Reliable Jewelry
Rick Guirlinger
RushHour Karting
Sam Jones BBQ
Seraphine
Signature Pillows
Skin Sense
Synergy Face + Body
The Burke Manor Inn & Pavilion
The Dunhill Hotel
The Durham Hotel
The English Garden
The Greystone Inn
The Inn at Crestwood
The Neuse Country Club
The Ocean Isle Inn
The Parlor at Heights House
The Pickled Onion
The Pines Country Inn
The Red Canvas
The Tradition Golf Club
The Whitewater Center
Theatre in the Park
Three Trails
Tito’s Handmade Vodka
Total Wine & More
Triangle Rock Club
Triangle Shooting Academy
Vann Fine Arts Portraits
Village Tavern
Wake County Speedway
Warby Parker
Wendy Perry Designs
Wente Family Estates
Wildwood Green Golf Club
William Cole Vineyards
Winterplace Ski Resort
Wendy Perry Designs
Woodhouse Spa