10 Year Anniversary Celebration Inaugural Gala
Ten years ago, we showed up for Dane County. We've been showing up ever since.
On August 27, we marked ten years of showing up for Dane County. Thank you for being in the room with us.
Through every challenge, every setback, every breakthrough, Focused Interruption has stood on the frontlines of violence prevention, learning, growing, and building something real. We know Community is the Cure. This gala was a declaration that safety, healing, and opportunity belong to every neighborhood, every family, and every corner of Dane County. And because of everyone who showed up, gave, and stood with us that night, that declaration is real.
WITH GRATITUDE
Thank you to everyone who attended, sponsored, and volunteered to make our 10 Year Anniversary Gala possible. Your support powers street-level outreach, youth mentorship, family stabilization, and community education across Dane County, work that continues because you showed up.
Special thanks to Atwood Music Hall for hosting us.
"We have seen what's possible when the right person shows up at the right moment. A life changes. A family heals. A neighborhood breathes again." -Anthony Cooper Sr.
YOUR INVESTMENT POWERS
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Street-level outreach and crisis intervention across Dane County
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Youth mentorship programs that interrupt the cycle before it starts
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Family stabilization services that keep households together through trauma
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Community education that shifts culture, not just behavior
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Expanded reach to more neighborhoods, faster
FEATURED SPEAKERS
Keynote: Michael-Sean Spence
Managing Director of Community Safety Initiatives, Everytown for Gun Safety
We are honored to welcome Michael-Sean Spence as our keynote speaker. Michael-Sean leads community safety efforts at the nation's largest gun violence prevention organization and founded the Everytown Community Safety Fund, which has invested more than $15 million in 142 community organizations across 72 cities, including more than $600,000 here in Wisconsin to advance this work in Madison and Milwaukee.
His belief drives everything he does: the people closest to the challenges of gun violence are also closest to the solutions. His presence at our Inaugural Gala is a powerful affirmation of the work happening in our own community.
Master of Ceremonies: Shiva Bidar-Sielaff
Vice President for Social Impact and Belonging, UW Health
For nearly three decades, Shiva has been a champion for equity, community, and belonging in Dane County. We are proud to have her lead our evening.
WHY THIS MOMENT
Violence doesn't wait. And neither do we.
For ten years, Focused Interruption has been embedded in the communities that need support most, not as outsiders, but as neighbors, mentors, and advocates who live this work every day.
Dane County is growing. The need for proactive, community-rooted violence prevention is growing with it.
When you take a seat at this table, you tell this community they are not forgotten. That Dane County is worth fighting for.