Our first opportunity to witness at the Crystal Cathedral came in February when DAP presented “An Evening of Inspiration”  that featured  Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital,  and  the Grammy Award Winning Gospel and  Jazz  Group, Take 6.  Over 3,000 guests attended and it was a memorable event. 

D.A.P.’s An Evening of Inspiration at the Crystal Cathedral…a SELLOUT!

As expected, the night was truly inspirational!  All of our hard work here at D.A.P. over the past several months culminated into a night that touched many.

The evening began with an uplifting video presentation produced by Rodney Medina of The Media Professionals.  The presentation featured video clips of Americana and other uplifting images set to a powerful classical music selection “Call of the Champions”.

Before the seats were even warm, Peggy Conner gave the first stirring performance of the evening with her rendition of “America the Beautiful”.

Master of Ceremonies, Fred Anderson "The Voice", then introduced the hosts of the evening D.A.P.  Co-Founders, Cliff and Freddie Harris.  The Harris’ warmth resonated throughout the Crystal Cathedral as they shared stories and welcomed everyone into the D.A.P. family.

The featured speaker of the evening, world-renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson then took to the majestic Crystal Cathedral stage.  Dr. Carson captivated the audience with humor, and subtle intensity as he delivered a message of hope in the human spirit and the importance of thinking big while achieving one’s goals.





The mixed media event then took another mood altering turn when, from the Jumbotron, in an October, 2004 interview, Steve and Loralee Borchers shared the story of their meeting and the hope that Steve would remain sober.  As the video rolled it was revealed through a more recent interview that Steve’s wife Loralee had died suddenly.

Steve gave his testimony on how what he had learned through the Drug Alternative Program gave him the strength and willingness to not only remain sober but to complete the goals for his education that him and his wife Loralee had made.  In an emotional moment, Cliff Harris then invited Steve onto the stage where he was greeted with an encouraging ovation from the crowd.

It was the perfect emotional transition as “the voice” then introduced to the stage, 10-Time Grammy Award Winners, TAKE 6.  The crowd clapped, smiled and swayed as they rolled through their swinging and harmony rich repertoire of music.  It was apparent by the smiles in the audience that this night was reaching its cultural peak.

Then, as Take 6 closed out and left the stage, the crowd remained and wanted more.  Not to disappoint, TAKE 6 gave an encore with a 14-minute rendition of “Mary, Don’t You Weep”.

The D.A.P. staff would like to thank everyone who was involved in the coordination and planning of the night’s celebration, especially Producer and Event Coordinator Brian Neal.  And of course we would like to thank all of our generous sponsors who made this night possible.

And one last special thank you to all who attended and we look forward to seeing you at our next event!