An Evening to Celebrate Arizona’s Youth
Connections of Hope is the largest fundraiser supporting Teen Lifeline each year, supporting the “connections of hope” found daily by troubled teens on our peer-to-peer hotline. At $440 per ticket, you’ll enjoy a delectable dinner, exceptional youth entertainment, live and silent auctions, and an opportunity to support our life-saving work.
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Become a Sponsor Becoming a sponsor has benefits for both you and the youth Teen Lifeline serves. Sponsorships range from $2,500 to $100,000, with increasing levels of recognition and backing crucial youth programs. Sponsorship Packages
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Donate Items for Auction The gala’s auctions are an important source of our funds, only possible through supporters’ generosity. Items include getaways, home services, and unique pieces. All proceeds go towards preventing teen suicide. Donate auction items
2026 Event Chairs Tobi & Frank Placenti
Community Lifeline Award
The Community Lifeline Award, given to a chosen Honoree at the Connections of Hope Gala, celebrates individuals who selflessly devote their time, talent, and resources to local causes. Each award recipient serves as a community role model, inspiring others with their personal and professional integrity, leadership, and compassion. In 2004, the award was named in honor of the inaugural recipient, Alfredo J. Molina, for his service to Arizona youth and our community.
Previous award recipients include Alfredo J. Molina (2004), Peter Thomas (2005), Carole and Bob Machiz (2006), Derrick Hall (2007), Linda and Bill Pope (2008), John R. Norton III (2009), Bridget Pettis (2011), Jerry Colangelo (2012), Larry Fitzgerald Jr. (2013), Jordin Sparks (2014), Donald Tapia (2015), Tom Hatten (2016), Erik Olsson (2017), David Alexander (2018), Sissie Roberts Shank (2019), Lorry Bottrill (2021), Mandy Purcell (2022), David Allred (2023), Darleen “Coach Dar” Santore (2024), and Danny Sharaby (2025).
Highlights from 2025’s Gala
On Thursday, October 3rd, 2025, Teen Lifeline held the annual Connections of Hope Gala at the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia. Over three hundred guests gathered that night to support teen suicide prevention and the life-saving connections our programs create. With a theme of “Be the Light,” the gala raised over $650,000, making it one of our most successful galas to date.
In addition to celebrating the impact of our work, the Connections of Hope Gala also highlighted the important work of Danny Sharaby, founder and president of Tickets Unlimited. Danny received the 2025 Alfredo J. Molina Community Lifeline Award for his quiet generosity and unwavering commitment to supporting Arizona’s youth and community causes.
A team of passionate professionals led the event to success, including: Event Chair Bonnie Love, Honoree Danny Sharaby, Mistress of Ceremonies Carey Peña, and our event advisors Lana Breen, Irene Clary, Melissa Costello, Jeff Fields, Mandy Purcell, and Jen Reid.
Entertainment included teen singer/songwriter and peer counselor Tia Penny, live and silent auctions run by auctioneer Letitia Frye, powerful stories from peer counselors Tune and Cal, and an after-party with DJ HartBreaks.
Read the full event recap on LinkedIn: Teen Lifeline’s Community is a Light for Arizona’s Youth, raising over $650K.
This event has both live and silent auctions, with proceeds supporting Teen Lifeline and our life-saving work in teen suicide prevention. The items in our auctions often include one-of-a-kind experiences (such as with sports teams like the Phoenix Suns or the Diamondbacks) and luxury items with high-tier donors such as Black Starr & Frost.
If you would like to donate an auction item, please fill out this form: PDF or Google Forms.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our auction. For a full list of last event’s auction donors, please visit teenlifeline.org/auction-items.
