LYNNWOOD—Support 7 held its fifth annual Reception and Auction on Saturday, April 25, that raise $155,000 for on-scene crisis care for trauma victims across south Snohomish County. This year’s theme is Voices of Courage.
“Today represents a community that refuses to let anyone face tragedy alone. Because of you, those voices are heard and supported,” said Support 7 Executive Director Shannon Sessions.
The event took place from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Community Life Center on 19820 Scriber Lake Road in Lynnwood, where attendees enjoyed hearty appetizers, an espresso bar and Italian sodas.
The event began with a reception and silent auction where guests could bid on specially curated silent auction items and a few exceptional live auction pieces including: a four-night desert getaway retreat to Queen Creek, Arizona, a traditional afternoon high tea event at Golden Leaf and Crumb, a private chef’s dinner experience at Plate and Palette, an original pencil black and white portrait by Michael G. Reagan, a paella party for up to 20, a VIP game day experience for the Seattle Mariners, a sip, savor, and stroll with Support 7 outing, a seven-day retreat to Blackcomb Mountain in British Columbia, and a wine and dine cruise around Portage Bay.
Proceeds from the auction offset the nonprofit’s annual operating costs.
Afterwards, Support 7 Executive Director Shannon Sessions’ husband, Keith Sessions, initiated the reception with the singing of the National Anthem before South County Fire Chaplain Bob Weslander read an invocation.
A brief memorandum video honored the Pendergraft Family where, five years ago, a house fire in Mukilteo took the lives of John Pendergraft and his seven-year-old daughter Aria.
John and his daughter Aria did everything together, the video described. John was an electrician who enjoyed scuba diving, hunting, crabbing, gardening and helping friends raise exotic animals. Often Aria was right there by his side on hunting and fishing trips, or in the kitchen making sausage or baking cupcakes.
“He [John] was a really loving and compassionate person,” said John’s mother, Linda Pendergraft. “And Aria was right there with him in all of that.”
Support 7 then recognized the first responders who responded to the Pendergraft family fire, who arrived on scene around 3:30 a.m. on April 15, 2001. By the time they arrived the house was already engulfed in flames and the roof had collapsed partially. Though they slept in different rooms, John and his daughter Aria were found dead at the scene, in each other’s arms.
Support 7 also honored the first responders who arrived at a different incident, which took place on November 19, 2024, when a woman carrying a little dog stole a van from a South Snohomish County parking-n-ride. She took the van on a high-speed joy run, ramming into an innocent victim resulting in a devasting, multi-vehicle crash. Both women, tragically, died.
Battalion Chief Keith Session arrived on scene, alongside Officer Clark Savell of the Lynnwood Police Department who explained the step-by-step process when responding to an incident like this. It starts with rendering aid until fire and medical arrive, Savell said, before investigating the scene to get an idea of what happened – in this case crossing the middle lane and hitting another vehicle head on.
“I’m thinking about resources, whether I close down the road, I need to identify the suspect, I need witnesses, then all the physical evidence preserved and that’s all within the first seven minutes,” said Savell.
The investigation can take as long as three years, Savell continued, as toxicology and blood work continues.
A couple of hours later Kyle Johnson with Snohomish County Fire opened the Fire Engine to see a little dog (the dog from the incident). Station 15 adopted the dog and has kept her at the station since, naming her Halligan “Hallie” Lynnwood.
Debbie Rosenfelt, Support 7 Board Member, followed the First Responder Spotlight to share her own story which took place on December 20, 2008, when she was notified by the Edmonds Police that her son had died by suicide. Years later, in just a six-month period, five more members of her family would pass.
“A period no one is prepared to endure,” said Rosenfelt.
On October 21, 2018, Rosenfelt heard a “blood curdling scream” come from her neighbor’s house on a Sunday morning. The South County Paramedic had just announced his wife, Debbie, had died.
Rosenfelt consoled her neighbor before seeing something she had never seen before, a Chaplain from Support 7 showed up, with a “calm presence” and sat with him and prayed.
“It wasn’t the loss but the loneliness inside of it and I remember thinking ‘where was this when my son died’ because when Kenny died, we felt alone. We didn’t know where to go. And in that moment, something came very clear: Nobody should have to walk through the worst day of their life alone,” said Rosenfelt.
That moment led Rosenfelt to get involved in Support 7 as a Chaplain, sitting people in the hardest days imaginable.
“People don’t remember the words. They remember how they were held, and were seen, they remember the people who stood beside them in chaos. That’s what Support 7 does, they show up, offering something simple and profoundly human – presence, compassion, and grace,” said Rosenfelt. “And this exists because of you. People who give, who choose to give.”
The fundraising activities continued throughout the evening with a live auction, raise the paddle, raffle drawing, and dessert dash. There were also several fundraising lobby games including a gift card game, a wine cork pulls, and merchandise for sale (calendars, engraved cutting boards, and t-shirts).
The sponsors included Beacon of Hope ($5,000), Guiding Grace ($2,500), Compassion Champion ($1,000), and Love in Service ($500).
Next year’s annual Reception and Auction is currently scheduled for April 24, 2027.
About Support 7
Support 7 is a nonprofit that partners with local first responders to assist victims and families during crises including unexpected natural deaths, suicides, homicides, house and commercial fires, SWAT callouts and pedestrian vehicle collisions. The organization deploys a mobile unit that offers a private space with water and snacks, away from onlookers and media, and connects people to grief counselors, funeral services and the medical examiner’s office.
Founded by the late Ken Gaydos, a longtime police and fire chaplain, Support 7 has served the community since 1981 and helps move people from crisis and trauma toward hope and healing.
The fourth annual gathering in 2025 attracted about 350 people and featured a panel discussion, live music, a dessert dash and a silent and live auction that included a salmon fishing charter, a luxury resort stay in Mexico and a private chef dinner.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
