Elton John opened his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour in Allentown at PPL Center Sept. 8. Before the concert, Valley Youth House held its annual fundraiser event as “Setting the Stage with Elton John” in the Allentown Renaissance Hotel, which is connected to PPL Center.

Valley Youth House honored Steve and Jeanne Follett and Follett, LLC as the 2018 Distinguished Honoree, while guests enjoyed Sir Elton John’s favorite foods and his favorite florals in an elaborate display on the podium stage. The dessert table featured sugar cookies in colorful shapes, including sunglasses, crowns and musical notes. The music of Elton John filled the room before and after presentations.

A notable presentation was by Thomas Harrington who talked about the path toward a better life, utilizing analogies from the song “Yellow Brick Road” and Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, building trust with people who have true concern for helping their youth find better ways for their future.

Savannah Rodriguez represented her time spent with Valley Youth House and the help she received to find success on her own yellow brick road. Savannah received a plaque to honor her work as a public speaker.

The special event has raised over $820,000 to date to benefit the young people and their families served by Valley Youth House. This year’s event broke the record for total raised at $330,450.

Valley Youth House provides homes for vulnerable, abused and homeless youth and helps build a solid foundation for young people and their families through dedicated street outreach, housing, counseling, skills training, health, prevention, and intervention services.

For more information see valleyyouthhouse.org The organization is located in Bethlehem.