‘Dinner in the Alley,’ an alternative to the gala, attracts dozens to benefit Salvation Army

In one of the more unusual fundraising events of
the summer, 75 young professionals recently had
dinner in an alley in downtown Milwaukee to raise
money to support the homeless initiative of The
Salvation Army Milwaukee County.
The sold-out dinner was held on Friday, June 24,
2016 in the alley next to the Grain Exchange, 225 E.
Michigan St., and featured a long table where all the
guests sat for the event. Most of the participants
dressed in red for the occasion.
The event was put together by the Salvation Army’s
Echelon board, which is made up of 40 Milwaukee-
area young professionals working on behalf
of the agency.
“The board of the Salvation Army asked Echelon
to host a gala as a way to engage YP’s and host
a fundraiser,” said Ian Abston, a member of the
Echelon board. “The collective group is bored with
galas and challenged ourselves to do something
unique, fun, and intriguing to the millennial generation
… thus the Dinner in the Alley was born.”
The event raised $3,500 for the Salvation Army
and was sponsored by Thrivent Financial. Two additional
“Dinner in the Alley” events are planned in
July and September.
Pictured guests dined on a seasonal menu in the
alley next to the Grain Exchange (top photo); Salvation
Army Wisconsin/Upper Michigan Divisional
Commanders Dan Jennings (lower left photo,
back) and Dorene Jennings (lower left photo, front)
co-founded the Echelon board; and Echelon board
members (lower right photo, from left) Paul Royal
and Terrell Lynn Morgan.