Mayor’s Gala shows community support for the military

If anything demonstrates the feelings the Lacey community has for its military  – it took place Friday night at the St. Martin’s Marcus Pavilion.

More than 300 people gathered for the first ever Lacey Mayor’s Gala for the purpose of raising money to support the new Lacey Veteran’s Services Hub.   The event was billed as part of the city’s 50th Birthday celebration, but became a symbol of Lacey’s support for the military.

It’s estimated that as many as 29 percent of all Lacey residents are active duty or retired military or are civilian employees of the military.   Other estimated statistics claim that as much as 42 percent of all Lacey residents have some connection to the military.

The Gala recognized the previous mayor’s in the city’s history, many of whom were in attendance,  but also its connection to Joint Base Lewis McChord just six miles down I-5.

Connecting the history celebration to support for the Veteran’s Hub and the military was the idea of members of the Lacey City Council, but the drive to do so came from Mayor Andy Ryder.  Ryder spent considerable time and effort to make the event a success.

The amount of money raised to support the Hub is still being counted, but it seems to be substantial.   However, the support of the community for the military and the military families in Lacey was well-demonstrated.