Abled co-chairs of the So CapABLE Gala, Agnes Sackless and Carla Tate, are proud of their efforts to fundraise for the Sackless Disabled Persons Foundation, despite spending significantly more money on the event than they raised.
Tate explained the inspiration for the gala: “Agnes and I were brainstorming ideas, and her dog, Pooka, who uses a wheelchair because her bones atrophied after being confined to a cute stroller for so many years, well, she went whizzing by us with a darling little sweater cape on. Agnes and I had an ah-ha moment: We deserve to wear capes as fundraising heroes.”
For the event, Zane, a local artist whose brother almost became disabled, crafted a line of capes using material from repossessed motorized wheelchairs. “It’s an upcycled homage to the tragedy and inspiration that is handicapableness.”
Tate’s assistant, Clarice Thomas, explained the process. “We worked alongside disabled people to bring this event together. I mean, we were inside the country club, and they were on the lawn outside of the guarded gates with pitchforks, but consistently, we partnered from afar.”
Much of their budget appeared to have been invested in food monuments consisting of Belon oysters, shrimp giving birth to baby shrimp and stone crab claws that were ripped from now-amputee crabs.
To dazzle potential donors, a team of engineers hoisted Tate into the air, where she used the art of trapeze to express her abled fragility. The audience was moved to tears by Tate’s artistry — and by their concerns that the suspension cables would snap under the weight of her talent, Pooka’s wheelchair and their reclaimed capes.
After the festivities, Thomas reflected. “Were the champagne hours in between courses expensive? Of course, but they were necessary. Our disabled community members deserve nothing but the very best. Oh, and we also apologize for the venue incident. Next year we will probably host the gala in an accessible location.”