The 79th annual Freedom Fund Banquet of the Staunton Branch of the NAACP will be held Saturday, Oct. 11, at Covenant Presbyterian Church.
The evening will feature a Mocktail Hour at 5 p.m., followed by the main program and dinner from 6 to 8 p.m.
The 2025 banquet’s theme is “Shining Stars: Honoring Our Past and Illuminating Our Future” and will spotlight the NAACP’s ongoing commitment to advancing civil rights and equity in the Shenandoah Valley. The keynote address will be delivered by Lisa Harris, Senior Organization Development Consultant at the University of Virginia, who brings decades of expertise in leadership and community development.
“Each year, our Freedom Fund Banquet reminds us that we are standing on the shoulders of those who came before us, and our responsibility to bring the same strength and support to those who will come after. We invite our community to join us as shining stars — supporting, celebrating and carrying forward the work of justice together,” Staunton NAACP President Sabrina Burress said.
The Freedom Fund Banquet is the branch’s largest annual fundraising and awareness event, with proceeds supporting the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Staunton NAACP Scholarship Fund. Both initiatives play a critical role in strengthening advocacy efforts and expanding educational and leadership opportunities for local youth.
A signature element of the event is the Souvenir Booklet, which will be offered in both print and digital formats. For the first time, advertisers will have the ability to embed interactive links in the digital edition, extending visibility beyond the evening of the banquet.
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Tickets are available online for $75 per individual or $600 per table.
“For nearly eight decades, the Freedom Fund Banquet has served as a touchstone for reflection, celebration and community progress. We are excited to continue the tradition,” Burress said.
The banquet’s 2025 Community Image Awardee will be Dr. Garett Smith, who retired from Staunton Schools as superintendent in June 2025. Before eight years with Staunton Schools, Smith served as a teacher, principal and school administrator.
‘I am so honored and humbled to be recognized by our Staunton, Virginia branch of the NAACP. When communities of adults are unified in support of their children and young people, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish together,” Smith posted on LinkedIn.
Smith is the branch’s first Freedom Fund Banquet awardee.
“As superintendent of Staunton City Schools, he led the division through a crippling pandemic and tremendous challenges, and still transformed it into one of Virginia’s top-performing public school systems. Under his leadership, schools achieved record academic growth, expanded access and equity, and strengthened community trust through bold, compassionate and inclusive initiatives,” the Staunton branch shared on social media.
Founded in 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation’s foremost civil rights organization. The Staunton Branch of the NAACP is dedicated to advocating for the rights and well-being of Blacks and other underrepresented communities in the Staunton area through activism, education and community engagement.
Covenant Presbyterian Church is at 2001 N. Coalter St., Staunton.
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Rebecca Barnabi
