New Year's Eve event Daytona Red Carpet Gala hopes to raise thousands for kids in need

What started 10 years ago as a friendly keg party that raised $3,000 for charity is now a full-fledged fundraising event at The Daytona, Autograph Collection Hotel at One Daytona.

And this year, organizers are hoping to raise many thousands more for kids in need.

The Red Carpet Gala on New Year’s Eve raised $40,000 in 2022, which helped support local organizations and programs for children with disabilities in Volusia County and opened a brand-new facility in the Dominican Republic to teach, heal and support more than 200 children in extreme poverty.

That is the bar Taylor Lloyd, who has been organizing the past few editions of the event, hopes to surpass with this year’s fundraiser.

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“I would dare to say that I’m certain we will raise more funds (than last year),” Lloyd said in an interview. “It is definitely looking like we’ll have a record year this year.”

How did the Red Carpet Gala begin?

The first version of the event took place as a casual keg party at the home of Lloyd’s friend, Chris Banks, in Ormond Beach.

“With all our friends home for winter break, we orchestrated an event, charged a $20 cover, and instructed everyone to dress up,” Lloyd wrote in an email to The News-Journal. “That year we raised $3,000 that we gave to the local homeless shelter.”

But after a few editions, Lloyd said it was unclear whether future events would take place.

That’s when he and his wife, Madison, decided to take over the planning, with Banks still involved.

“There was a lull year when we did it at our house … and we raised $300,” Lloyd said. “Which was enough to sponsor one child in Togo, Africa, for an entire year. We still talk with him — his name is Gedeon — all the time, writing letters, sharing photos of our families. It’s really special.”

Lloyd is the great-grandson of the late J. Saxton Lloyd, the longtime Daytona Beach auto dealer who helped NASCAR founder "Big Bill" France Sr. finance and build the Daytona International Speedway.

Red Carpet Gala moves to One Daytona

In 2021, Lloyd decided host the event at the One Daytona hotel.

“It was brand new at the time,” Lloyd said. “We’d get in the lobby with all the old vehicles, and it was really fantastic. That year we raised about $30,000. And that went a long way, helped a lot of kids.”

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Although the money raised from the first few events would support causes “the majority (of those at the party) agreed on,” directing the funds to children’s needs over the past few editions has become a “core value” of the event, Lloyd said.

Easterseals, a national nonprofit with a branch in Daytona Beach, helps kids with disabilities and has become “a special local partner,” he said. Compassion International is a global organization helping children in extreme poverty.

If this year’s event can raise more than the $40,000, as Lloyd expects, he said there are plans to open a new Compassion International facility in Guatemala.

There are also plans for Easterseals to “direct our funds to implement new research technology into our local community to help not only learn more about autism and ways to improve quality surrounding it, but also ways to get ahead of it early, tests that can be done in (a child’s) early ages,” he said.

Since the Red Carpet Gala has taken place at One Daytona, the event has grossed more than $100,000, something Lloyd and his friends are very proud of.

“All the money goes to the charities, which is great.”

What does the Red Carpet Gala event look like?

The first few times at the One Daytona hotel, the event took place in the main lobby, which features a bar area, restaurant, outdoor seating and more.

But this year, the event is moving to the hotel’s banquet hall.

“We had the grand idea of having a casino,” Lloyd said. “We are going to have a craps tables, blackjack tables, roulette tables and what you’d see in a normal facility, but obviously without real money.”

Those who play in the casino can win prizes, raffles and more, he said.

In addition, the lobby area will be used for a silent auction. The event will also have “multiple bars, a DJ, dance floor, a large donation counter and a screen showing our progress so far.”

Black-tie attire is preferred for those who attend. Lloyd estimates that 100 to 200 people will attend this year’s Red Carpet Gala.

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Tickets are available at daytonaredcarpet.wixsite.com/www-daytonaredcarpet for $125 (general admission) or $150 for the VIP experience, which includes a casino voucher.

The event is scheduled for New Year’s Eve from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Those who are unable to attend can visit the event’s website to make direct donations, Lloyd said.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona New Year's Eve event hopes to raise thousands for charity