Winetasting Is Cancelled. Now What?
ASHLEIGH STARNES | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020
For the first time in 28 years, we won’t be having an annual Winetasting.
The AVLF Winetasting has been the premier fundraising event of the holiday season for nearly 30 years. Every November, 1,000 of our friends in the legal community and beyond come together to celebrate our commitment to the fight for equal justice.
But this year is different.
Without Winetasting, we’re relying on the generosity of our donor community.
As you’ve probably guessed, it’s not safe to host any in-person fundraising events this year. With great sadness, we decided to cancel the event.
While there have been some incredible online events from our community partners in the last few months — like the GAIN Un-Gala — we knew that the unstructured, unscripted nature of the Winetasting just wouldn’t translate to a Zoom room.
The cancellation impacts our fundraising strategy. The Winetasting is a big networking opportunity (and a lot of fun!), and the event attracted a lot of donors in the past. But this year, we’re relying on the generosity of our donor community to help us meet our fundraising goals — even without a big event to celebrate.
We know that this community — even without Winetasting — will come together to support Atlanta families in a time of unprecedented crisis.
Since the event was a thank-you for our Annual Campaign donors, we’re devising new ways to recognize our generous 2020 sponsors. We’ll be updating our donors as our plans take shape.
For now, we encourage you to stay connected to our work. You can still donate to the Annual Campaign. You might want to attend our virtual screening of The Invisible Class (followed by an exclusive live panel interview with the director Josh Hayes), or sign up to volunteer.
We’re all in this together, and we know that this community — even without Winetasting — will come together to support Atlanta families in a time of unprecedented crisis.
We’re sending our donors exclusive content about upcoming events and updates about AVLF. You can make a contribution here.
Ashleigh Starnes
Communications Manager
As AVLF’s Communications Manager, Ashleigh develops strategy, design, and content for AVLF’s digital and print communications. She’s deeply committed to sharing resources and education with her community at large – and makes it her mission to support AVLF’s programs and outreach in all they do.
Ashleigh is an Atlanta native. Before joining AVLF, she was a Fulbright Scholar in Turkey. Ashleigh holds a Bachelor’s in English and Linguistics from the University of Georgia. She is also a performance artist, and can occasionally be seen performing movement pieces, poetry, and combinations of the two around Atlanta and beyond.
