Riley Gaines to Come to Vidalia
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
Vidalia Heritage Academy is hosting athlete and political activist Riley Gaines as the keynote speaker for the school’s benefit dinner, which is slated for October 28.
The school first began hosting renowned speakers for their benefit dinner in 2021, and has since brought well-known leaders throughout the nation to Vidalia to speak at the biennial event. “When we began the process of a biennial benefit dinner in 2021, celebrating 25 years of ministry for VHA, we most certainly prayed about who our speaker should be. We wanted someone who would first and foremost be a positive witness for Christ and the gospel, someone who would capture the attention of our VHA family and the surrounding community, and someone whose presence could help us raise funds to continue to provide high quality, Christ-centered education in our area. That first event we had Governor Mike Huckabee, then in 2023 we hosted Alex Kendrick, and as we prayed and asked others we trusted about who should be our keynote speaker for this year's event, myself and the Board of Directors immediately settled on Riley Gaines,” Vidalia Heritage Academy Headmaster Jeff McCormick explained.
When asked why Gaines was the group’s first thought for a speaker, McCormick highlighted the connection between Gaines’s values and the school’s values. “Riley was a 12 time All-American athlete, with 5 individual SEC Swimming titles when her entire life was changed because she and other female swimmers were forced to share a locker room and then compete against a biological male in the 2022 NCAA Women's Swimming Championship. And adding insult to injury, although Riley tied this biological male to the 100th of a second, the NCAA gave the women's title to a man. This young lady stood up for herself and all females, even though the world told her to ‘shut up,’ and became an advocate to defend our young girls against the political ‘wokeness’ that would force our daughters and granddaughters to have to compete against boys,” he explained. McCormick continued, “The vitriol against her would have caused many to retreat. The threats, even the barricading of her in a room for hours at a college campus while protestors screamed the vilest threats, did not stop her. It only made her stronger. She traveled with the late Charlie Kirk, appearing with him on college campuses, and continued to fight for the young girls of America. All of this caused her to reexamine her faith, deepen it, and in 2023 she was named as the 2023 Christian Woman of Distinction. I believe the message she will share at our event, ‘Stand Firm with Your Voice When Others Want You Silenced,’ is one that not only our students need, but one that we as adults need to hear as well.”
He also spoke about his excitement for the event, which will also feature performances by Vidalia Heritage Academy students. “We are incredibly excited for the event and so many new sponsors are making this night possible. The sheer number of requests for tickets has been a little overwhelming, but we are prepared to seat as many as we can. Also, our students will be performing and serving at the event so they will get the opportunity to meet and hear Riley. It is going to be a great night!” Mc-Cormick emphasized.
The benefit dinner will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 28, at the First Baptist Church of Vidalia, located at 107 E. 2nd Street. Tickets are required for the event and cost $100 per seat or $500 for a table, which seats 6 people. Tickets are limited and should be purchased prior to October 28. Attendees should dress in business formal attire.
For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit the Vidalia Heritage Academy website (www.vidaliaheritageacademy. com) or call (912) 537-6679.
