Christ Clinic Katy is finalizing details for this year’s Breakfast for a Blessing fundraiser on Oct. 8 from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Christ Clinic Executive Director Lara Hamilton said this year’s event – the tenth annual observance – is one of the nonprofit medical provider’s largest funding opportunities of the year. However, she said the event is also about having fun while educating and inspiring the community.

“We are going to have French Cajun-inspired food and decorations,” Hamilton said. “We’re going to have a horse and carriage there. … We’re pretty excited about the theme and we’re thinking that it will show through. We’re working hard to make it that way.”

Hamilton said volunteers and staff are working to finalize booking musical entertainment with a New Orleans jazz vibe to it as well.

This year’s financial goal is $100,000, she said, but in the face of exacerbated need caused by the pandemic, she’s hoping for more. Fundraising through the event has just started, Hamilton said. The clinic is still asking for sponsorships as well and tickets are still available for the event at https://christclinickaty.org/bfab2021. Individual tickets are $75 and sponsorships are available in a range of values from $500 to $15,000. However, those who cannot attend or may not be able to afford larger donations may also donate through the site.

Christ Clinic Volunteer Outreach Coordinator Daniel Trejo said the donations and sponsorships don’t just cover the cost for planning and putting on the Breakfast for a Blessing event, they also pay for direct services to the patients the clinic provides care for. Trejo said educating attendees on the clinic’s mission is a big part of the event as well. Christ Clinic provides low-cost medical care to area residents regardless of race, creed or faith, he said.

“That’s something that we experience at the clinic, in the front desk area a lot, is people come in and a lot of the times the question is, ‘Can I be seen if I’m not a Christian?’ So, they do ask if they can be seen there for whatever reason and we have to tell them, ‘Yeah. Of course. We don’t discriminate against you for anything. Jesus loves all people,’” Trejo said.

The keynote speaker for this year’s event will be Julia Aftab, Hamilton said. Aftab is an immigrant to the U.S. who was persecuted for her Christian faith. That persecution extended to a lack of access to health care and Aftab will address what it means to show people how Jesus’s love extends through health care regardless of the patient’s religious beliefs, Hamilton said.

“It’s important that (non-Christians) in our community know that they have a place to go,” Hamilton said.

Services at the clinic have been in high demand since the pandemic began last year, Hamilton said. As COVID-19 ramped up, the economic impact and health concerns for patients have intensified. Some clients have avoided preventive care appointments out of fear of COVID-19 exposure. As a result, patients’ health conditions such as diabetes and other chronic conditions have gone unmanaged as people balance financial needs and other health risks, she said. With those issues slowly settling out, she is hopeful for clients to be able to improve their health situations.

In the long run, Hamilton said, the Breakfast for a Blessing is about fundraising, but just as importantly, it is about educating the community about the needs of the community and the opportunities to help neighbors in need. Whether that’s connecting the clinic to volunteers or long-term sponsors or making potential clients aware of the services the clinic has – it’s all important, she said.

“I think one specific ask is to please consider doing a table sponsorship,” Hamilton said. “And then use your table sponsorship to reach out to your network and invite people that you think would be interested in participating or becoming a partner with an organization like Christ Clinic. That’s really what the breakfast is for … it’s to make connections with like-minded people that have a passion for health care for the underserved and showing Jesus’s love through health care.”