Special Olympics Kentucky athlete Kristi Newton (right) talks about her art work at the Inspire Greatness Gala. (Photo by Splaque Photography)

The 13th annual Inspire Greatness Gala presented by Wells Fargo, held Jan. 28 at the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, once again created a wonderful environment for attendees to have a great time, while at the same time celebrating and supporting the accomplishments of Special Olympics Kentucky athletes.

The evening started with a VIP reception for sponsors in the Seelbach's beautiful Rathskeller. The reception provided an opportunity for sponsors to meet some of this years stars of the Inspire Greatness Gala -- Special Olympics athletes who contributed original art works to the event's silent auction. Four of the six athletes -- Tonya Cornett of Lexington, Kathleen Crumbo of Louisville, Paul Fiehrer of Covington and Kristi Newton of Lexington -- who contributed pieces attended the event to discuss their work and their participation in Special Olympics. The special works of art raised $600 at the event.

Once all attendees gathered in the Seelbach Ballroom -- which was beautifully decorated by Fleur de Lis -- they enjoyed a fantastic dinner and learned more about Special Olympics from 2011 Special Olympics Kentucky Co-Athletes of the Year Ryan Barts and Danielle Blakeney and new SOKY President and CEO Garry Gupton and his son (and 2010 Special Olympics Kentucky Athlete of the Year) Grant. Garry recounted Grant's early struggles for life, how the family came to be involved in Special Olympics and what a difference the program has made in their lives.

A well-stocked candy buffet greeted guests for after-dinner snacking. (Photo by Splaque Photography)

From there it was on to the always exciting live auction. This year the auction featured a boat cruise on the Ohio River, a catered Super Bowl Party for 30 with a big screen TV, a St. Petersburg, Fla., vacation and a chance to host a cocktail party at an historic home in Anchorage. The cocktail party donor Craig Scherman generously opted to double that opportunity, helping to make the live auction a tremendous success.

This year's Gala included a couple of new items. One was a candy buffet that closed out dinner in lieu of dessert. The second was the Big Hitter Challenge -- a table vs. table contest that gave everyone in the room a chance to support the program with a donation. The Challenge raised an additional $4,000 with the Wells Fargo table leading the way. Each of the Wells Fargo attendees received a certificate for a personalized bat donated by Louisville Slugger.

After the live auction it was time to dance the night away to the funky music of Caribou.

This year’s Inspire Greatness Gala raised more than $70,000 for Special Olympics Kentucky.

The '70s era funky sounds of Caribou had guests dancing the night away. (Photo by Splaque Photography)

Our thanks to everyone who made the Inspire Greatness Gala such a success and such an enjoyable evening, including all of the event volunteers and our sponsors – Presenting Sponsor Wells Fargo; Gold Sponsors Heaven Hill Distilleries, Texas Roadhouse, Team Ice Socks, Todd Loehnert and Westerfield Insurance Company; Silver Sponsors Crawford Williams Creative, Mountjoy Chilton Medley, The Meehan Family and T&T Motorsports and Bronze Sponsors CNA Surety; Flynn Contracting; Harding, Shymanski & Company; Jeff McGowen & Rick Houze; K&K Management; MAC Construction; Sellersburg Stone Co.; The Weishaar Family; Weber Group, Inc.; Brian Ayers; The Clements Family; Strothman & Company PSC and Advance Ready Mix. We also would like to thank Splaque Photograph for donating their services for the event, Caribou for donating their time and Bennie and Friends for providing VIP goodie bags.

For more information about the Inspire Greatness Gala presented by Wells Fargo, or to find out how you can be involved next year, contact Candace Thompson at 502-326-5002 or cthompson@soky.org.