NextStep Raleigh Events
We host events throughout the year. We use them to raise money, connect with each other in real life, build our community, and have fun. Come join us!
Upcoming Events
6th Annual NextStep Raleigh Charity Golf Tournament
Monday, June 1, 2026 | Prestonwood Country Club – Highlands Course
Get ready to tee off for a great cause at the 6th Annual NextStep Raleigh Charity Golf Tournament.
Join us on Monday, June 1, 2026 at Prestonwood Country Club’s beautiful Highlands Course for a day of golf, community, and impact benefiting NextStep Raleigh, the Triangle’s premier paralysis recovery center.
This annual tournament brings together supporters, community leaders, businesses, and golfers from across the region to help provide life-changing activity-based therapy and recovery programs for individuals living with paralysis. Because these services are often not covered by insurance, events like this play a critical role in making recovery more attainable for the families we serve.
Guests will enjoy a premier golf experience featuring on-course contests, food and beverage activations, raffle opportunities, awards, and an evening banquet celebration following play.
Whether you are joining us as a golfer, sponsor, donor, or volunteer, your participation directly supports individuals working every day toward greater independence, strength, and hope.
Tournament Details
Date: Monday, June 1, 2026
Location: Prestonwood Country Club – Highlands Course
Benefiting: NextStep Raleigh
Registration & Sponsorship Opportunities
Registration is now open, and sponsorship opportunities are available at multiple levels for businesses and community partners looking to make an impact while gaining visibility throughout the event.
Register or learn more here:
https://nextstepraleigh.ejoinme.org/26Golf
Interested in becoming a sponsor?
https://nextstepraleigh.ejoinme.org/26GolfSponsorship
We look forward to another incredible year of community support as we continue helping individuals living with paralysis continue to move forward,
Past Events
A 10-Year Tribute
This fall, our community came together for an unforgettable evening of celebration, reflection, and purpose at the Stand Together Gala: 10-Year Tribute.
Hosted at Whiskey Kitchen, the evening marked a deeply meaningful milestone for NextStep Raleigh: 10 years since Michael Thor’s accident, the life-changing moment that sparked the vision for what would eventually become our organization.
What began as one family’s determination to pursue recovery and possibility has grown into a thriving paralysis recovery center that has served hundreds of individuals across North Carolina. Since opening our doors in 2018, NextStep Raleigh has helped clients living with paralysis take progress toward greater independence, strength, and hope through evidence-based, activity-based therapy.
Throughout the evening, guests shared stories, connected with clients and families, enjoyed incredible food and entertainment, and rallied behind a mission that continues to grow in impact each year. Together, we honored the progress made over the last decade while looking ahead toward an even brighter future for paralysis recovery in our community.
This event would not have been possible without the incredible generosity of our sponsors and supporters. Their commitment helps fuel life-changing recovery programs for individuals living with paralysis and makes access to care more attainable for the families we serve.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to:
- Avery Biomedical
- Capital Automotive Group
- Jerry & Brenda Schafer
- Mercedes-Benz of Raleigh
- Pryon, Inc.
- Sandy Bridger & Sean Rollman
- Southern Wake Regional Airport
- The Hopper Family
- The Shearin Family
- The Thor Family
- TowneBank
- VAN Products
We are deeply grateful for your partnership and belief in the mission of NextStep Raleigh.
Of course the event would not have been the same without our Chef’s Standing Strong. Chef Collen Speaks, Chef Kyle Teears, Chef Sunny Gerhart, Chef Evan Cordes, and Chef Preeti Waas served their delicious bites.
Most importantly, the gala reinforced what has always made NextStep Raleigh special: the people. The clients who refuse to give up. The families who stand beside them. The trainers, supporters, sponsors, volunteers, and donors who make this work possible every single day.
Thank you to everyone who attended, sponsored, donated, volunteered, and helped bring this event to life. Your support reminds every individual who walks through our doors that they are not alone in their recovery journey.
The energy in the room reminded us of something powerful: when a community stands together, extraordinary things can happen.
Here’s to the next 10 years of hope, progress, and possibilities.
This year’s golf tournament was an incredible success, thanks to YOU—our dedicated players, partners, sponsors, and volunteers. We welcomed 93 golfers to the stunning course at Prestonwood for a fun-filled day in support of paralysis recovery.
We kicked off the morning with bagels, breakfast sandwiches, and hot coffee—courtesy of Bruegger’s Bagels, McDonald’s – Haynie Family, and Starbucks.
On the course, thanks to Tito’s Vodka, Heaven Hill, OBX Distilling, Karen Coe Realty, Far Packaging, Triangle Shooting Academy, and Hendrick Auto, golfers were treated to unique activities and refreshments that kept the energy high. A special shout out to Drew Browder and his gaggle of friends, which comprised 3 of the day's teams and seemed to have a lot of fun during the Auction.
Our live and silent auctions were packed with exciting donations from our generous community, including: Whiskey Kitchen, Payne’s Playhouse, The Thor Family, GP Catering NC, J. McLaughlin, Wendy Perry Designs, Raleigh Custom Burn, Maximillians, Pro’s Epicurean, Tribeca Tavern, Crosstown Pub, Albatross, The Exchange, Game On Escape Rooms, Caffe Luna, Brewery Bhavana, Parkside, Prestonwood Country Club, Hope Valley Country Club, and Lonnie Poole Golf Course.
Sullivan Eastern Inc. sponsored our beverage carts, filled with donations from Biolyte, US Foods, RH Barringer, Wicked Weed, Lonerider, NoDa, Ponysaurus, and New Belgium.
After a day on the course, we gathered for the Awards Banquet and Buffet, hosted by Stalls Medical, featuring classic summer favorites—hamburgers and hot dogs—paired with a cold pint from Bond Brothers Beer Co.
A very special thank you to Cameron Bridger, our volunteer auctioneer, whose energy and cadence helped us raise an impressive $29,124. These funds have already gone to update vital center equipment and support Jeramie Grey and Delmonica Stanley as they traveled to Minneapolis, MN to study new neural plasticity techniques with Dr. Susan Harkema.
Thanks to Shae Portraits photos from the day are available in our online gallery.
A heartfelt thank you to TowneBank and all of our sponsors, partners, and supporters—you make this work possible. We especially could not have done all of the heavy lifting without the unsung heroes operating quietly in the background - Our Volunteers, who made the day run smoothly, We really appreciate the NextStep Raleigh Trainers (Jeramie, D, O, Travis and Jayne) coming in on their day off, Karen Thor, Jan Browder, Margie and Will Hennessee, Rory and Cameron Bridger, Whitney Wiener, Abigail Jenkins, Miller, Jenkins and his bevy of friends, Aaron Vaughen, and Nikki Shearin.
Mark your calendars:
6th Annual Charity Golf Tournament – June 1, 2026 at Prestonwood Country Club. 💚
A heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this event such a success. Your incredible support means the world to us, and together, we’re proving that there’s no limit to what we can achieve.
Our mission to create an affordable, state-of-the-art, paralysis recovery center would not be possible without the amazing people who support us—thank you to both familiar faces and new friends who believe in this cause.
At our center, we’re committed to providing cutting-edge, research-backed activity-based therapy programs that give individuals the best chance for recovery, independence, and overall well-being. Let’s continue to STAND together as we work toward a future full of hope and possibilities!
A huge THANK YOU to everyone that came out to support NextStep Raleigh at the Bootlegger's Bash at IMURJ on Friday night. We had an amazing turnout with well over 100 attendees, and everyone looked fantastic in their 1920s style swag. There was a costume contest, gambling, dancing to three bands, a silent auction with tons of great items, a live auction that was really fun (thank you, outstanding auctioneer Sarah Santoro Thor) and a raffle which you could use all your mad gambling winnings for. Thanks to everyone's generosity we were able raise over $9,000 to benefit our center. With all your generous donations, we will be purchasing parallel bars and establishing our scholarship fund for our members.
NextStep is a Non-Profit and without ongoing donations we couldn't exist and continue to serve the Triangle paralysis community. If you were unable to attend the event (or even if you WERE able to attend) and would like to make a one time or regularly scheduled donation please CLICK HERE TO DONATE
A special THANK YOU to all of our sponsors for helping make this event possible:
IMURJ
Whiskey Kitchen
Duke Athletics
UNC Athletics
Carolina Hurricanes
Hope Valley Country Club
Lonnie Poole Golf
Durham Bulls
American Dance Festival
Trolley Pub
Rue Cler
It's a Southern Thing
May As Well Bar and Grille
Local 22
Frog Hollow Outdoors
The Ragged Gardens
The Best Cellar
Prestonwood Country Club
Bella Monica
Threehouse Studios
Tyler's Taproom
Red Hat Amphitheater
Raleigh Marriott
Parkside Restaurant
North Carolina Museum of Art
We hope to have your continued support in 2019 as we continue to grow and connect with our community.
