2026 Gala: Where Wonder Begins
Bright Futures Gala
Friday, October 2, 2026
Our Bright Futures Gala, Where Wonder Begins, brought our community back to The Children’s House campus on Friday, October 2, 2026. With 160 guests in attendance, the evening offered a beautiful opportunity to experience our school in a whole new way and to share in the wonder our children get to be part of every day.
Guests enjoyed a lively cocktail hour and silent auction throughout the school, with each classroom helping contribute to the auction experience. The evening continued with a fantastic live auction, live music, and a record-breaking paddle raise.
Because of your incredible support, the gala raised more than $200,000 for our Bright Futures Fund, making it the largest fundraising event in The Children’s House’s history!
For the first time ever, we were honored to have three Founders Circle sponsors: Freshwater Development, Highstreet Insurance Partners, and Northwestern Michigan Dermatology. Their leadership, along with the generosity of everyone who attended and contributed, made this milestone possible.
A special thank you to Andrea Deibler, The Children’s House chef, for creating a delicious meal; Chad Schrader, Chris Sterr, and the Timebombs, who provided the evening’s fantastic live music and facilitated our AV; and Wade Leist, our auctioneer, for keeping the energy high throughout the evening.
We are also incredibly grateful to our gala committee: Hanna Kleb, Emily Kolassa, Matt Lockemy, and Erin Lutke, whose time, creativity, and care helped bring Where Wonder Begins to life.
Most of all, we are grateful to everyone who joined us and helped make this evening such a success. Bringing the gala back to our beautiful school and campus gave our guests the chance to experience firsthand the curiosity, connection, and wonder that fill these halls every day. Thank you for helping us ensure that wonder continues to begin here.
Where Wonder Begins
Discover The Children’s House through the eyes of the families who call it home. Hear from parents as they share what makes a Montessori education meaningful and how wonder, curiosity, and a love of learning take root in our children every day.
Sincere thanks to our 2026 sponsors:
Founders Circle Partners
Freshwater Development, Highstreet Insurance Partners, and Northwestern Michigan Dermatology
Community Champions
Events North and M&M Garage Doors
Supporting Partners
Form Modern Pilates, Independent Bank, Rehmann, and Cherry Capital Airport
Friends of the Children’s House: Silver
4Front Credit Union, Brick & Corbett, iSee Communications, KAL Excavating, Mark and Karen Lundmark, Neighbor, State Savings Bank, and Traverse City Orthodontics
Friends of The Children’s House: Bronze
AGS Adventure Golf & Sports, D&W Mechanical, Jersey Mike’s, Modern Bird, National Writers Series, Sandbox Alliance, TBA Credit Union, The Schofield Family, Williams Chevrolet and Wiggle Butts & Waggin Tails.
What do our students wonder about?
See all the photos from the event on our Pixieset gallery.
Save the Date:
Bright Futures on the Fairway
May 17, 2027
