Thompson raises $616,515 at annual luncheon

The annual Thompson Child & Family Focus fundraiser held Tuesday, April 28, brought in $616,515, besting last year’s tally by more than $200,000, officials said.

That’s nearly $13,000 each minute at the annual “Portraits in Courage” luncheon, which was held at the Westin Charlotte in uptown.

Five hundred supporters attended the luncheon, which is staged to help Thompson overcome an annual funding gap in the services it offers to thousands of low income and abused children in the community.

The 2015 luncheon comes at a critical time for the agency, which is dealing with a $4 million funding gap that is twice the size of the previous year.

Agency leaders credit the increase to a nationwide push to get children out of residential treatment programs at a faster pace. The agency has hired a consulting firm to craft a new strategy and its report is due in October.

Thompson helps 12,000 children and families annually from its seven locations.

This story was originally published April 28, 2015 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Thompson raises $616,515 at annual luncheon."