The final appeal of the night asked the room for gifts between $250 and $50,000, and the paddles kept rising. By the end of the evening on October 21, City of Refuge had raised more than $1.3 million at The Gathering, its annual fundraiser at The Foundry at Puritan Mill on Atlanta’s Westside. More than 500 guests attended, and the total passed last year’s. It was the largest Gathering in the event’s history.
The money goes to work on the Westside. City of Refuge, founded in 1997, serves Atlantans in crisis with housing and workforce programs, along with health services and education. The Gathering has been its signature fall fundraiser for nearly 15 years, and it started small, as a gathering on the organization’s own campus. “This event has historically raised at least a million dollars to support City of Refuge and our overall programming,” said Edward Phillips, the organization’s chief development officer.
Longtime supporters Mark and Nancy Toro co-chaired the evening. Mark Toro sits on the City of Refuge board and is the founder and chief vision officer of Toro Development Company, which put the event in front of Atlanta’s business and real estate rooms. His firm’s $560 million Medley development in Johns Creek held its grand opening on October 29, eight days after the gala.
Guests moved from a cocktail reception and silent auction into dinner, a live auction, and a performance by singer-songwriter Ellie Holcomb. The silent auction carried more than 80 items. The live auction offered six experiences. Phillips said his favorite part of the night is the appeal itself. “You see people step up, and they’re giving publicly through raising their paddles, stepping out in generosity,” he said. Gas South added to the tally, matching additional donations dollar for dollar up to $10,000.
The evening’s theme was a single word: WITH. Two guests, Stephanie and Kevin, were there as their stories were told. Stephanie came to City of Refuge during addiction, received housing and recovery support, finished workforce training, and found a job. Kevin arrived unemployed and without stable housing, completed the organization’s cybersecurity training program, earned his certifications, and now works full time as a data center technician. Both live independently. “They are ultimately the hero of the story. We are not the hero in that story,” Phillips said.
The $1.3 million will pay for transportation vehicles for participants and students, holiday camps, and educational scholarships, and it will expand workforce training. City of Refuge also plans skilled trades programs in electrical work and maintenance, with plumbing and HVAC to follow. The need behind those plans is measurable. In 2025 the organization placed 607 people into jobs and housed 910. It served more than 315,000 meals. This year it opened its Transformation Center, adding 25 affordable apartments, and expanded the tuition-free City School Atlanta to serve students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
City of Refuge turns 30 in 2027. Phillips hopes the people who raised paddles in October come back before then, not to another ballroom but to the campus itself. “We want them to come and see it, and truly walk with individuals here as well,” he said.
The Social Register’s event directory tracks the season’s galas, benefits, and society evenings. Plan your next evening there.
