Each year, the Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center attracts hundreds of supporters to its annual Celebration of Valor Luncheon. While this signature event is still happening this year, the Heritage Center announced today that the 4th Annual Celebration of Valor Luncheon has undergone a virtual reformatting designed to engage a wider audience and bring greater awareness to the Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center and its 19,000 square foot “character development classroom” in downtown Chattanooga.
Originally scheduled for August 25 at the Chattanooga Convention Center, the 2020 Celebration of Valor Virtual Luncheon is now scheduled to be broadcast at noon on Tuesday, October 6, and will provide supporters, donors, students and educators with the opportunity to attend this celebrated event from their home, workplace or school.
The 2020 Celebration of Valor Luncheon Chair Jeff DeLoach shared, “the committee overwhelmingly felt it was important to go forward with the Luncheon as the money raised annually helps support our mission and ongoing efforts to teach character education at the Heritage Center and in our schools and community centers. As more and more of our communities move towards virtual education options, this year’s Luncheon will also help support the Heritage Center’s staff and volunteers as they develop new, creative ways to connect with audiences, students and educators and teach character education in a virtual environment.
Director of Education, Hannah Sher added, “we all long for the human connections that are limited because of COVID-19. However, instead of disengaging, we believe this is a critical time for us to grow our programming and outreach. This year’s Celebration of Valor Virtual Luncheon will be different, but we know it will be just as inspiring as our traditional format and has the potential to reach more people, especially students.”
In the coming days, the Heritage Center plans to release additional details on the 2020 Celebration of Valor Virtual Luncheon. Thanks to the generosity of supporters, the Heritage Center is able to make the Celebration of Valor Virtual Luncheon free to all who wish to participate. Due to the virtual format, the Heritage Center will be contacting community members and sponsors who have already purchased tickets or tables for the Celebration of Valor Luncheon to offer options for supporting this year’s Celebration of Valor Virtual Luncheon.
Chair DeLoach added, “while we cannot celebrate in person this year, the Heritage Center needs the support of our entire community more than ever. Going virtual in 2020 is the right decision, and we are now forging ahead and thinking creatively on how the Heritage Center can make this year’s Luncheon more accessible and engaging. These are unprecedented times, and yet, we want to ensure the Celebration of Valor continues to be thought of as one of Chattanooga’s signature events.”
With this year’s Celebration of Valor Virtual Luncheon being presented without a fee for participants, the Heritage Center hopes this year’s event will attract a wider audience than previous years’ events, creating even greater exposure for its dedicated sponsors and supporters. Funds raised from this year’s Celebration of Valor Virtual Luncheon will help strengthen the ongoing operations and sustainability of the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center and its character education programming during these unfamiliar times. Due to the changes and challenges brought on by COVID-19, ongoing educational outreach efforts have required additional funds for both in-person and virtual programs. Supporters may contribute throughout the broadcast or at the conclusion of the virtual event, by texting VALOR to 243-725 or making a secure donation online at www.MOHHC.org/donate.
We thank our major sponsors for their continued support of the Celebration of Valor Virtual Luncheon: First Horizon, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Textile Rubber & Chemical Company, Times Free Press, Food City, The Patriot Foundation Trust, SunTrust now Truist, Kelly Subaru, The Raines Group, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Sunny 92.3 FM and Classic Country 97.3 FM.
For more information about the Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center and its Character Development Programming, please visit www.MOHHC.org or call (423) 877-2525.
