Wasting Away in Margaritaville
Hope's Place Riverboat Fundraiser is July 29
Sasha Bush
The Ashland Beacon
“Wasting away again in Margaritaville, searching for my long-lost shaker of salt.”- Jimmy Buffet
Do you find yourself like Mr. Buffet and just can’t seem to find that long-lost shaker of salt? Well… look no further… here is your chance to not only embrace your inner Jimmy Buffet, but you can support a great cause while doing so. Set sail and drift away with Hopes Place Children’s Advocacy Center, as they gear up for their annual riverboat cruise.
Every year since 2018, Hopes Place has put on this highly anticipated event that has yielded great results. Dawn your best island-themed attire as you party the night away aboard the Belle of Cincinnati. This beautiful riverboat awaits you at the port of Ashland to take you to “Margaritaville,” where you can hopefully find your long-lost shaker of salt and enjoy an open bar, cheeseburger buffet, dancing, raffle tickets, and some great entertainment put on by the infamous Mark Cole. This event will take place on Saturday, July 29, 2023. The boat leaves the port of Ashland at promptly 6:30 p.m. and is set to return to port at 9:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on Hopes Place website at www.hopesplace.org or by emailing Hopes Place Administrator, Cassie Murphy at
Single Tickets are $150, couples’ tickets can be purchased for $275, and sponsorship tables are available for purchase starting at $500 and up. Thanks to ticket sales, generous donations, and sponsorships, Hopes Place has been able to raise close to $100,000 since 2018. Hopes Place Executive Director, Lisa Phelps, noted, “The River Boat Cruise is one of two major fundraisers we do each year to provide additional funding for our center, in addition to grants and other donations, so we can continue providing all services including trauma counseling, advocacy, specialized medical exams, forensic interview exams, education and referral services free of charge to all clients. Children and families NEVER receive a bill for any of our services.”
Phelps went on to add, “All proceeds from this event go directly to providing trauma counseling, advocacy, specialized medical exams, forensic interview exams, education, and referral services free of charge to all clients. Children and families NEVER receive a bill for any of our services. Proceeds have been used to provide free trauma treatment services to over 4,000 children and families over the last few years!”
Hope’s Place Child Advocacy Center has three locations and exists to serve children and families impacted by child sexual and physical abuse and severe child trauma. They provide a safe environment where victims can find help, hope, and healing. “We bring together a multi-disciplinary team of child protective professionals, law enforcement, prosecutors, medical and psychological personnel who work to bring investigations of child abuse and child trauma to successful conclusions. We provide free trauma treatment services to children and families in the FIVCO region from our Ashland office in Kentucky. We partner with Gateway Child Advocacy Center to provide services to the rural FIVCO counties and Gateway Region of Kentucky from our Elliot County office, and our Ohio office located in Jackson, Ohio, serves Lawrence, Jackson, Vinton, and Gallia counties in Ohio,” emphasized Phelps.
“This year marks our 25th year serving children and families in 2023! We are so grateful for the community members who founded our center and for all the people, team members, board members, funders and everyone who has supported our mission for the past quarter century. We look forward to serving Tri-State children and families for decades to come! We are looking forward to enjoying cheeseburgers in paradise with you in July!” Phelps excitingly expressed.
