2025 Lakewood Youth Auction Dinner

Join us for the 2025 Lakewood Youth Auction Dinner featuring Gary Miracle. Gary Miracle is a Christian advocate and motivational speaker. Michigan-born and Florida-raised by a close-knit family, Gary’s life would forever be changed by two events: First, the day he placed his faith in Jesus Christ, and second, the phone call he got to work with MercyMe, the Christian band that brought the world, “I Can Only Imagine,” as their merchandise manager. Both his relationship with Christ and friendship with the band would have an eternal impact. Gary is the biological dad of three boys and the adopted dad of a forever daughter from Colombia, South America. Their family is rounded out by Ecmo, Gary’s service dog. In December of 2019, Gary fell ill, his body in septic shock after an advanced case of the flu. In the days to follow, he survived a number of life-threatening moments including coding and being revived. After falling into a coma, Gary’s family had to make the unfathomable decision to attempt to save his life by agreeing for the doctors to amputate both his hands and feet. Through his long and arduous recovery, Gary had to make the difficult, daily choice to discover a new life that, today, he believes was always waiting on him to experience. A two decades-plus friendship with Grammy-nominated Christian band MercyMe was the catalyst for them to introduce Gary’s story to the world through the music video for their hit song “Say I Won’t.” Today, when Gary isn’t at home with his family in central Florida, he is out on the road sharing his story to churches, conferences, and conventions of how he discovered the life God always had waiting on him, in spite of personal tragedy and trauma. Gary invites everyone who hears his message of grace and hope to profess, “I will have no more bad days! Say I won’t!” “At the end of the day, I’m going to be okay. I’m going to have hands and legs again. I’m going to be playing with my kids. I’m going to walk my daughter down the aisle. I’m going to be able to do all these things because we have a really really good God and if one person gets to go to Heaven because of anything I go through…then bring it on.” All proceeds support Lakewood Youth ministries, helping students in grades –12 grow in faith, service, and leadership. Be part of an evening that changes lives and invests in the next generation.