Creating Life-Saving Connections at Teen Lifeline's 2024 Connections of Hope Gala

On Friday, October 4th, Teen Lifeline held our 20th annual Connections of Hope Gala at the brand-new Caesars Republic Hotel Scottsdale. Hundreds of people gathered that night to support teen suicide prevention and the life-saving connections our programs create. Thanks to you, our gala was truly a night to remember.

In addition to celebrating the impact of our work, the Connections of Hope Gala also highlighted the important work of Darleen Santore , better known as “Coach Dar.” Darleen is living proof that one person can make a difference; she’s a best-selling author, occupational therapist, and mental edge performance coach to professional athletes and business leaders worldwide. And, for her monumental work supporting the mental health of Arizona’s youth and community, Teen Lifeline named Darleen our 2024 Community Lifeline Award recipient.

The Connections of Hope Gala is Teen Lifeline’s largest fundraising event of the year, helping our organization address the ever-growing needs of teen mental health and suicide prevention by raising funds and awareness for our life-saving programs. (Learn more about the gala at teenlifeline.org/connections-of-hope-gala.)

A Community Lifeline for Arizonans: Darleen Santore

This year, we were excited to honor mental health powerhouse Darleen “Coach Dar” Santore with the 2024 Alfredo J. Molina Community Lifeline Award. This award, named after its inaugural recipient Alfredo J. Molina of Molina Fine Jewelers, honors someone whose compassion, charity, and goodwill have benefited the youth of Arizona. The recipient is a community role model, inspiring others with their personal and professional integrity, leadership, and compassion.

“Be the person that shows up, that makes a difference and doesn't leave their side.”

— Darleen Santore, 2024 Honoree

Darleen is an author, licensed and board-certified occupational therapist, sought-after motivational speaker, former Phoenix Suns Mental Skills Coach, plus a leadership and mental edge coach to professional athletes, CEOs, and business leaders around the world. Her new best-selling book, “The Art of Bouncing Back: Find Your Flow to Thrive at Work and in Life – Anytime You’re off your Game” (McGraw Hill), was released in February 2023. The book’s inspiration was evoked after bouncing back from her own myriad of life challenges, including three strokes over the past 24 years, and is driven to help people awaken their greatness, achieve peak performance, and live out their purpose.

Coach Dar is best known for her mental conditioning work with athletes in the NBA, NFL, MLB, PGA, and NHL.?Her coaching reaches far beyond the sports world to work with Fortune 100 executives and world leaders. Her passion is to help others say “no” to the status quo and raise the bar in life.

Coach Dar is the United States Ambassador for the Global Pay It Forward Day Initiative and the founding member of WISH (Women in Service and Hope) in Phoenix, which is part of St. Vincent de Paul. She has been honored by the WNBA with the Most Inspiring Women Award, was named a Trailblazer in Phoenix by Voyager Phoenix, and received the 2022 Diamond Award for Coaching Excellence in Professional Sports. She was recently honored with the 100 Women to KNOW Across America Award.

Coach Dar, who resides in Scottsdale, Arizona, has appeared on FOX Sports, TODAY, Good Morning America, SiriusXM Radio, The 700 Club, and The List, as well as on many other media outlets and international publications.

A Passionate Event Team

Event Chair Melissa Costello

The event chair of a gala guides it to its success, leading the event planning process and rallying committee members and volunteers into action. Melissa Costello, a lawyer at Ballard Spahr who has dedicated her career to working pro bono with nonprofits, is a friend to us all. It is because of her hard work and connections that we had a full room of wonderful people in attendance at our gala.

“Every single teen who calls to reach out for help—your bravery and your strength are truly inspiring. You are the reason we are all here tonight.”

— Melissa Costello, 2024 Event Chair

Our Advisors and Mistress of Ceremonies

Emmy Award-winning journalist and CEO of Inspired Media 360 Carey Pena returned to our stage this year as our Mistress of Ceremonies, connecting the segments of our program together without a hitch. She also shared her own story of an interview with one writer who had related to her a time when a sense of connection created by her show brought him out of a dark place.

“He said, ‘I'm always looking for signs.’ …The fact that someone heard him saved his life.”

— Carey Pe?a, 2024 Mistress of Ceremonies

The event was further supported by our advisors, Lana Breen, Irene Clary, Jeff & Danielle Fields, Mandy Purcell, and Jen Reid. With an involved team like this, the 2024 Connections of Hope Gala was given a great foundation.

The Teens Behind the Phone: Peer of the Year and Stories from Peer Counselors

As an event about teens, Connections of Hope also features teens themselves!

Peer of the Year 2024: Kate

Every year, Teen Lifeline recognizes a teen volunteer’s commitment to our cause with the Peer of the Year award. This award is given to the graduating high school senior who most embodies the spirit of Teen Lifeline and what it means to be a Peer Counselor. Kate, with over 500 hours of volunteer service in the past year alone, is this year's Teen Lifeline Peer of the Year.

“Teen Lifeline has changed my life for the better. I think it's such a special place full of so many people that are dedicated to making the world a better place.”

— Kate, 2024 Peer of the Year

For the last year and a half, she has been an active member of the Teen Lifeline community, dedicating her time each week to volunteer at the hotline, while also contributing at local food kitchens and the Swift Youth Foundation. Her outstanding commitment and positive spirit earned her the Peer of the Year award, highlighting her kindness, eagerness to help, and ability to make everyone around her feel welcome.

Although Kate couldn’t be there in person, she still spoke to our audience with a kind heart and down-to-earth demeanor in her video acceptance.

Peer Counselor Stories: Wynter & Kaitlyn

Teen peer counselors Wynter and Kaitlyn also took the stage to share their personal journeys in finding hope for the future.

“Teen Lifeline gave me hope that there was a future for me… Hope has gotten me here into a better chapter in my life, one where I have bigger and brighter goals of becoming a therapist… Now, I welcome the future with open arms, excited to see what comes next.”

— Wynter, Peer Counselor

Wynter is truly one of a kind. They have been a constant source of light, laughter, and sour candy at Teen Lifeline since 2022. Wynter strives to help others feel heard and valued while also keeping things fun, making them an ideal role model for new volunteers.

“I know that no matter where I am or what I'm going through, I have people I can rely on who will be there for me through everything and anything. Teen Lifeline provides that safe space for me, the other peer counselors, and the callers.”

— Kaitlyn, Peer Counselor

Kaitlyn is always willing to lend a helping hand. Since joining Teen Lifeline two years ago, Kaitlyn has remained committed to serving others throughout her college years. Her dedication and kindred spirit have rightfully earned her the title of Peer II of the Year, reflecting her hard work and genuine joy in supporting those in need.

Entertainment All Night Long

Teen vocalist Tia Penny started the night off on a high note with an original setlist sung by velvety vocals, guitar artistry, and inspired lyrics. Tia and Teen Lifeline were first brought together last year when she filmed her second release, “Goodbye.” The song was inspired by true events after one of Tia’s friends sent her an alarming video. She spent the evening frightened for her friend and ultimately decided to reach out for help and her parents assisted. Tia wrote this song shortly afterwards and wanted to express the importance of speaking up and getting help however you may be involved with someone considering harming themselves.

As a young teen, she has had national and local TV spots and was chosen as a TEDx speaker/performer for Grand Canyon University. She plays locally at music venues and annually at the Arizona State Fair. She studies classical guitar and vocals at a local Arizona Arts School. This wealth of experience gives her an ease on stage—a teen talent to remember.

The auctions at the Connections of Hope Gala are major sources of funding for our life-saving work, and a big reason behind their success is the way Auctiontainer Letitia Frye runs them. Her unique style, passion, and uncanny ability to memorize content give way to an engaging performance at each event.

We're grateful to her, our auction item donors, and the auction buyers for raising thousands for our work.

At the conclusion of our main program, guests stayed in the ballroom for our After Party, with music by DJ Alex Dahl.

Alex Dahl, a member of Desert House Productions’ elite Pro DJ team, is a crowd-favorite across numerous high-energy events with a client list that includes Tostitos, Levi’s, Silverleaf, and Western Alliance Bank.

#Hope24: The Liveblog

The gala was covered live on Teen Lifeline's Instagram Stories and Twitter/X in photos and video clips under the hashtag hashtag #Hope24. Check the whole live blog out to relive the night in our hashtag #Hope24 Instagram Story Highlights @teen_lifeline or on our Twitter/X @602248TEEN.

What comes next?

Looking forward to the next event? Here's what Teen Lifeline has coming up:

November 8, 2024: 19th Annual Firetag Invitational Golf Tournament

The other major in-person event Teen Lifeline hosts every year is the Firetag Invitational Golf Tournament. This scramble-style golf tournament includes a complimentary meal on the course during play, a virtual silent auction, and fabulous prizes.

Learn more and RSVP at teenlifeline.org/firetag.

December 3, 2024: Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is the largest global day dedicated to giving back to the community—a major fundraising day supporting nonprofit work. In line with the spirit of giving, Giving Tuesday is always the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Often, donations to Teen Lifeline are matched by an anonymous donor on Giving Tuesday, meaning your donation makes double the impact on this day.

Follow us on social media to stay updated. Or, start a Facebook fundraiser now—templates available at teenlifeline.org/social-media-fundraising!

2025: Buy our Teen Suicide Prevention Awareness Specialty License Plate

Teen Lifeline's new Teen Suicide Prevention Awareness Specialty License Plate will become available for purchase from the Arizona Department of Transportation next year! $17 of every purchase of one of our license plates will go to funding Teen Lifeline's suicide prevention programs, enabling us to better support Arizona youth.

September 2025: Teen Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

Every September during Teen Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, Teen Lifeline raises awareness of teenage mental health, suicide prevention, and the resources available to the community. This is done through the Chains of Hope project where schools work together to create paper chain links with messages of hope for students to take from, our Messages of Hope PSAs filmed by student-athletes from high schools across the state, and an increase in the number of prevention education workshops with students, school staff, and parents.

Learn more at teenlifeline.org/tspa.

October 2025: Connections of Hope Gala

Connections of Hope is an annual affair—Teen Lifeline's biggest source of funding for our teen suicide prevention work. This cocktail chic gala includes a memorable program, entertainment, dinner, auctions, and the opportunity to provide hope to Arizona youth.

Learn more at teenlifeline.org/connections-of-hope-gala.

To learn more about Teen Lifeline's annual events and how you can get involved, please visit our website:

Thank you, everyone, for supporting Teen Lifeline and our Connections of Hope Gala! You truly make a difference.