Gather Hosts a Habitat for Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity partnered with Gather three years ago to organize a high-class and elegant fundraiser for the Green Bay community and members of the organization, and have now been hosting this event at Gather for the last three years, finding new ways of immersing guests into the magic of the annual event.

“Gather is here to put on fresh and fantastical events,” Jyll Everman declared. “We want anyone who throws an event here to feel special and custom, and for anyone who attends an event here to be immersed in a wonderful event that they’ll remember and tell people about for days and weeks after.” 

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Customizable Authenticity

Jyll Everman, co-owner and executive chef of Gather, loves coordinating and producing events: lining up menus, coming up with decor themes, thinking of feasible (and sometimes unfeasible) event ideas that will shock and awe guests… which is why Habitat for Humanity’s recurring fundraiser is such a perfect fit for collaboration with Gather, and why you should book your next company or family event with us as well!

“Producing events is one of my favorite things to do in the world,” Jyll gushed. “I have a knack for finding creative things and doing things outside the box, so when Habitat for Humanity paired up with Gather three years ago I was over the moon to show them what I could do for them!”

“Their goal was to create a night out that felt like the best night of the year, you wouldn’t even know it was a fundraiser,” she said, “my goal in life is to surprise and delight. We want people to walk out wanting to schedule their next event with us. If they're not talking about how much fun they had on their way out the door, I can't sleep for three months.”

This specific event takes 10 months of planning as there are so many layers to the evening that Jyll, and the rest of the staff at Gather, want to conduct flawlessly. Comparable to booking a wedding with Gather, there are multiple meetings leading up to the day of the event, ensuring everything is complete and ready to go with no hiccups. The venue takes two days to set up in its’ entirety for this specific event due to everything involved, but most events take a single afternoon to set up with the professional crew hired by Gather.

“We connect 10 months before the event to solidify the theme and all the details for everyone involved,” Jyll explained. “For example, for our ‘A Night in New York’ theme this May 2024, we had four of the best chefs currently in the Green Bay area cook and prepare meals as if they were within different culinary cultures of New York. They were each given a budget, a theme, and about six months to create something to show off their culinary expertise. We start planning the menu immediately, so I want to get the chefs lined up as soon as possible, giving everybody plenty of time to source any specialty ingredients they may need; if you're coming to an event at Gather, you know the food is going to be an important part.”

“I wanted to keep it incredibly authentic from a street food point of view,” she noted. “For example, at the Gather table, we made classic versions of street foods such as euros, Coney Island hot dogs, and New York-style pizzas, all passed out by our very professional waitstaff. Even though you’re experiencing aspects of fine dining, you’ll also get the authentic experience.”

Authenticity with a personal and creative twist is always clear within the events Jyll has her hand in at Gather. Dressing for the theme and encouraging her staff to do so when applicable, Jyll assures having fun with the event is just as important as remaining professional!

“We made the front space into a speakeasy, so our bartenders were dressed to the nines, our servers were in ‘I <3 New York’ t-shirts, everybody looked incredible! I love how we all get into the themes here, it makes it even more fun!”

The first year Habitat for Humanity hosted this fundraiser with Gather, in 2022, they displayed the theme of Bourbon and Bluegrass, incorporating southern food with an upscale twist and Gather’s first and now beloved Biscuit Bar. In 2023 the entire building was transformed into an Evening in Italy with wine windows, Italian alleyways, and authentic Italian cuisine. No matter the theme or event, guests are transported to the magical setting for every occasion! 

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A special occasion for any occasion

“Partnering with Habitat for Humanity was an easy decision because they are such an incredible cause,” Jyll beamed. “It's benefiting them, it's benefiting us! They allow us to show what we do best in gathering the community in our beautiful space, solidifying our name in the events arena.”

The coordination of an event at Gather is always based on the critical theme of teamwork as there are so many moving parts and people involved, Jyll typically takes control of the creative process with menus for all events, while Maddy Meyer, Gather’s Catering Manager and Pastry Chef, goes over all booking information and meetings with clients. 

Like most of the events hosted within Gather, Ruby Design and Petal Pusher are the primary vendors and businesses that transform the space for this event as they know the space so well and have never failed Gather’s expectations. However, Habitat for Humanity also has its own decor committee to set up with the rest of the team, incorporating pieces of decor and furniture from the Habitat Restore, and are happy to partner with Gather’s two trusted vendors as well.  

“Habitat for Humanity went all out with the decor from their Restore,” she grinned. “They have their own decor team, so they brought in booths refurbished in black leather to create a New York Steakhouse, a huge newsstand with newspapers they had flown in from New York, and sold out of an exclusive amount of $100 ‘I <3 New York’ keychains for their fundraising efforts. The keychains led individuals to a VIP experience within the building which included Dom Perignon and caviar, people were talking about it all night and I was so thrilled with the reactions!”

Gather has accumulated a reputation for amazing guests and event attendees with surprises such as transforming the venue right before their eyes, previously undisclosed appetizers, and even surprise guest appearances by musical artists and performers! Going above and beyond in every aspect imaginable, Jyll and Tommy Everman are ready to completely customize your next event.

“You've got to wow people and you've got to take chances,” she beamed. “I always want to put myself out there for the experience of it, I'll slap on rollerskates and serve dessert if that goes along with our theme! I want people to walk out of every event thinking about what a memorable experience it was to be here.”

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Whether you’ve attended or hosted an event at Gather in the past, our scheduling books are ready for your next memory-making soiree!

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