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View More \n ","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluestreak.moxleycarmichael.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46125"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluestreak.moxleycarmichael.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluestreak.moxleycarmichael.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluestreak.moxleycarmichael.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluestreak.moxleycarmichael.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46125"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/bluestreak.moxleycarmichael.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46189,"href":"https:\/\/bluestreak.moxleycarmichael.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46125\/revisions\/46189"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluestreak.moxleycarmichael.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluestreak.moxleycarmichael.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluestreak.moxleycarmichael.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluestreak.moxleycarmichael.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":46101,"date":"2020-11-24T12:19:57","date_gmt":"2020-11-24T17:19:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluestreak.moxleycarmichael.com\/?p=46101"},"modified":"2020-11-24T14:47:02","modified_gmt":"2020-11-24T19:47:02","slug":"event-planners-had-year-to-forget-but-remain-thankful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluestreak.moxleycarmichael.com\/2020\/11\/24\/event-planners-had-year-to-forget-but-remain-thankful\/","title":{"rendered":"Event planners had year to forget but remain thankful"},"content":{"rendered":" Nobody likes events more than The Blue Streak! That’s why we are thankful for the wonderful event planners in our community. Moxley Carmichael’s writer\/editor Maria Cornelius handles the EventCheck Knox calendar for us and writes a blog there called “ In Any Event .” We thought Blue Streak readers would enjoy her latest blog entry, re-posted here. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! — Cynthia \n The year 2020 can\u2019t end fast enough for event planners, but they adapted to a pandemic, salvaged some fundraisers and emerged thankful for everyone\u2019s support. \n The last large-scale, in-person event of 2020 was L\u2019Amour du Vin in March. After that, events steadily got postponed and then canceled or converted to virtual gatherings. Planners had to get creative to stay connected to donors, change events on a dime \u2013 and protect themselves from COVID-19. \n We asked event planners for their biggest challenge in 2020 and what were they most thankful for this Thanksgiving. The answers ranged from being appreciative for Zoom, to people actually being home to answer the phone, to how the Knoxville community rallied to help. \n \n Carla May Par\u00e9 \n \n Carla May Par\u00e9, director of fundraising events and special projects at the Knoxville Museum of Art , is thankful for timing. \n \u201cMy largest annual event, L\u2019Amour du Vin, is a fundraiser for the Knoxville Museum of Art that takes place the first weekend of March,\u201d she said. \n \u201cThis year, that was just one week before the pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization and things began to change rapidly. We were able to hold an amazing night of celebration and generous support for the KMA just in the nick of time!\u201d \n Par\u00e9 also gave thanks \u201cfor great partners who are willing to lend a helping hand during a time when we need it most.\u201d \n   \n \n L’Amour du Vin at the Knoxville Museum of Art in 2020 – two weeks before a pandemic upended planners’ events. ( Blue Streak photo ) \n \n The timing wasn\u2019t as perfect in her personal life as she had planned to get married last April. That wedding has been postponed because of the pandemic. \n \u201cAs an event pro, I\u2019ve learned to expect the unexpected, but this year has taken the cake,\u201d Par\u00e9 said. \u201cIt\u2019s also presented opportunities to explore new event concepts, find new ways to connect, slow down, learn to cook and appreciate coworkers, friends and family.\u201d \n Becky Hancock, the executive director of the Tennessee Theatre \u2013 which had to cancel all of its scheduled events \u2013 said she had to come to terms with the enormity of what has happened. \n \u201cMy biggest challenge was wrapping my mind around the fact that the Tennessee Theatre could not be used for its main purpose \u2013 to gather lots of people together,\u201d Hancock said. \u201cAfter a few months of thinking we would turn the corner and things surely would go back to normal, I just had to accept that this would continue much longer than we all hoped. I had to learn to let go.\u201d \n Hancock is grateful for the moral support that came from connecting with her colleagues as everyone navigated the pandemic. \n \u201cI have been so thankful to meet regularly (and virtually) with other historic theater directors and large venue operators throughout the city, across the state and around the nation,\u201d she said. \u201cWe listen to each other, learn from each other and reassure each other.\u201d \n \n Tennessee Theatre Executive Director Becky Hancock, right, with Michael and Judith Foltz, at a fundraiser concert for the theatre in 2018. ( Blue Streak photo ) \n \n Here are more responses from event planners, the troupers of 2020. \n Jessica Langer, senior director of development and marketing, Positively Living & Choice Health Network \n \n Jessica Langer \n \n The biggest challenge was being new in this role \u2013 I came on board in February 2020 \u2013 and wanting to meet with supporters around the community in person like I would normally do to begin to build relationships. That was mostly off the table this year because of COVID-19 \u2013 we even had to cancel our two popular annual events, Summer Swing and People of Courage! \u2013 but luckily I was able to hold a few outdoor meetings safely with some really passionate people to help keep the ball rolling. \n I\u2019m most thankful for the health and well-being of my family and friends, and myself! Being pregnant during a pandemic is pretty anxiety-inducing \u2013 I\u2019m due in February \u2013 but thankfully the majority of people we surround ourselves with are educated, thoughtful and taking this thing seriously, which is helping to keep us all safe. \n Eddie Smith, director of development, ChildHelp of Tennessee \n \n Eddie Smith \n \n Without a doubt, 2020 has been an interesting year. For us, fundraising when having to cancel all fundraising events, has been one of the many challenges we faced. And while that is a challenge, we are also grateful for the hundreds of donors who have stepped up to ensure that our mission of helping the at-risk, neglected and abused children does not suffer. When you compare the struggles of fundraising against the backdrop of child abuse, and the severe abuse that we\u2019ve seen this year, so many of our other challenges all fade away by compar...