{"id":1395,"date":"2026-03-10T14:33:05","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T18:33:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/?p=1395"},"modified":"2026-03-10T14:41:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T18:41:10","slug":"every-child-deserves-a-safe-place-journey-into-the-jungle-gala-gathers-community-for-safehaven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/2026\/03\/10\/every-child-deserves-a-safe-place-journey-into-the-jungle-gala-gathers-community-for-safehaven\/","title":{"rendered":"Every Child Deserves a Safe Place: Journey into the Jungle Gala Gathers Community for SafeHaven"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Coco Siebert, Catherine Wise, Keeley Hynes | Source: Fairfield County Look<\/p><\/div>\n

Every child deserves a safe place. On February 27, that promise filled the room. During a\u00a0sold-out\u00a0evening\u00a0of 325\u00a0guests in attendance\u00a0at\u00a0the\u00a0Journey into the Jungle Gala\u00a0at Stamford\u2019s\u00a0Loading Dock, the community\u00a0rallied\u00a0to support Kids\u00a0In\u00a0Crisis.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Led by Gala Co-Chairs Keeley Hynes, Coco Siebert, and Catherine Wise, the evening was transformed into a celebration of purpose. Guests gathered in jungle attire for spirited cocktails, a seated dinner, and live music and dancing by\u00a0Roctopus.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the night was energetic, the focus was clear.\u00a0SafeHaven, one of Connecticut\u2019s only children\u2019s shelters,\u00a0provides emergency shelter and crisis care for children during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.\u00a0<\/span>In 2025 alone,\u00a0SafeHaven\u00a0provided 2,249 nights of care\u00a0and Kids\u00a0In\u00a0Crisis served 6,233 children and families across its programs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The heart of the evening came during a moving video\u00a0testimony from\u00a0former\u00a0SafeHaven\u00a0resident Brina Patino. As her story unfolded, the room grew still. Guests listened as she shared how\u00a0SafeHaven\u00a0became a turning point in her life, a place where she felt protected, supported, and safe.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the video, the audience rose to their feet in a standing ovation for Brina, a moment that reflected not only admiration for her courage but a shared understanding of why this work matters.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The evening included remarks from Gala Co-Chairs, whose leadership brought Journey into the Jungle to life, as well as encouraging words from Senator Blumenthal, who acknowledged the vital role Kids\u00a0In\u00a0Crisis plays in protecting children and strengthening communities.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Through a live auction and paddle raise, led by auctioneer Nick Dawes,\u00a0guests\u00a0generously supported\u00a0SafeHaven\u00a0and the other Kids\u00a0In\u00a0Crisis services, including\u00a0school-based\u00a0counseling programs and the new 24\/7 crisis texting hotline launching this summer. Together, raising\u00a0more than\u00a0$345,000.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kids In Crisis extends gratitude for the dedication of the Gala Co-chairs Keeley Hynes, Coco Siebert, and Catherine Wise, Gala Committee, and volunteers who made the evening possible. Thank you to the generous Gala Sponsors, Davis & Gilbert, DLA Piper, Fairfield County Look, Fenwick, Freshfields, Granoff Architects, Greenwich Dentistry, Greenwich Hospital, Greenwich Lifestyle, Holland & Knight, Jackson Lewis, Kairos Growth Advisors, Lindsey Leonard Creative, Lucky Dog Refuge, Silver Golub & Teitell LLP, Sam Bridge Nursery & Greenhouses, Stamford Health, and Washville for your support and generosity. Special thanks to Roctopus for bringing energy to the dance floor and to auctioneer Nick Dawes for turning inspiration into action. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0sold-out\u00a0success of Journey into the Jungle was a reminder of what is possible when a community shows up. But while the evening was a celebration, the need does not end when the lights go down.\u00a0SafeHaven\u2019s\u00a0doors\u00a0remain\u00a0open\u00a0365 days\u00a0a year. Children continue to arrive in crisis. The demand for emergency shelter and mental health support continues to grow.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Gala was a meaningful step\u00a0forward,\u00a0and the work continues.\u00a0Make a gift today<\/a> to keep SafeHaven\u2019s doors open 365 nights a year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every child deserves a safe place. On February 27, that promise filled the room. During a\u00a0sold-out\u00a0evening\u00a0of 325\u00a0guests in attendance\u00a0at\u00a0the\u00a0Journey into the Jungle Gala\u00a0at Stamford\u2019s\u00a0Loading Dock, the community\u00a0rallied\u00a0to support Kids\u00a0In\u00a0Crisis.\u00a0 Led […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":1396,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[150,93],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-150","category-gala"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1395"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1395\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}