Three Nashville songwriters took the stage at the Prospector Theatre Saturday night for an evening of music and fundraising for Bridge21, a local nonprofit and housing organization for neurodiverse individuals.
Trent Tomlinson, who has written Brett Young’s “In Case You Didn’t Know” and Scott McCreery’s “Damn Strait,” joined songwriters Paul Jenkins, the lyricist of Blake Shelton’s “Over” and Jason Aldean’s “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” and Lance Miller, the pen behind “Drink To That All Night” by Jerrod Niemann.
Each took time to explain some of the backstory behind the songs that had become famous. Tomlinson for instance dedicated a rendition of “In Case You Didn’t Know” to one of the night’s sponsors, the Evans family, who lost a father in a construction accident in 2024.
It was fitting, Bridge21 Program Coordinator Meredith Powell said, because Tomlinson had written the song about losing his own father.
“He based that song originally off of when he lost his dad, and now his mom, after that, used to always tell him on the phone, ‘In case you didn’t know, I love you,’” she said.
It’s a popular song, too. Brett Young’s music video performance of the song has 758 million views on YouTube since being uploaded in January 2017.
The Prospector was also a fitting venue for a music-focused event, said Stephanie Polukoff, the executive director of Bridge21.
“It’s a great venue for music because those acoustics are right in there, and … the different levels of the theater make the stage viewing pretty perfect. There’s not a bad seat in the house,” she said.
The night also included an art auction featuring dozens of works from local artists, including neurodiverse artists from the Bridge21 community and residents.
“We did have an incredible piece of art by David Riley,” said Polukoff. “He donated the full proceeds of the art piece to Bridge 21, and that sold for $11,050 — huge contribution by him as, yeah, a local legend.”
The piece, titled “Calm in the Storm,” sat on the stage during the evening’s performances to entice bidders.
Other pieces included “A New Season” by Cheryl Appe that sold for $2,000, “Pretty Pink Horshoe” by Bridge21 residents that sold for $150 and “Summer Clouds” by Lisa Brennen that sold for $510.
Only two pieces hadn’t sold, and Polukoff said people are still welcome to purchase them if they’d like. They, along with the other pieces of art, are available to see at givebutter.com/c/Nauv5p/auction.
Top Shelf provided cocktails, DeeLicious Park City catered and Hill’s Kitchen worked alongside neurodiverse Bridge21 community members to make Halloween cookies for the crowd to enjoy.
Polukoff said the night was a success in every way, which was particularly exciting because it was the organization’s first time holding an event like this. Tickets sold out despite the event happening on a busy weekend for events in Park City.
“We had a full house, so that spoke volumes,” Polukoff said. “We expected 150, and we got almost 200. We were kind of scrambling with table organization, but it was our pleasure to do that,” she said with a laugh.
It was also a success from a fundraising perspective.
“I haven’t come up with final numbers yet, but I know that we met our budget, plus (some),” Polukoff said. “Our No. 1 goal was to have a good event and have people have a good time and really raise awareness and feel like they had learned about our organization. So I feel like all those things happened.”
Powell agreed.
“It’s fun to see all of our favorite people in one room,” she said.
The pair said they hope to build the event into something annual. Since finishing construction on the custom neurodiverse house in Silver Creek in May and having residents move in, the nonprofit has finally been able to start demonstrating the power of the concept, which means they can now build awareness and raise funds to hopefully do more.
“This was our first to kind of test the waters and see if people enjoyed this kind of experience, and it really felt like they did,” Polukoff said. “So yeah, I think we would like to keep it going.”
The house in Silver Creek was designed to be accessible and friendly for its tenants. Smart appliances, easy-to-use security systems, calm rooms and automatic water shutoffs are the kinds of accommodations that make the house a home for the four women living there. The organization has discussed the possibility of building more houses, but that will, of course, mean more funding.
With Live PC Give PC on Nov. 7, Park City’s day of giving to local nonprofits, the team is still looking to raise money for its neurodiverse housing and programming.
Bridge21 will partner with Marker Union, another nonprofit organization dedicated to creating meaningful, paid employment for adults and young adults with disabilities. The two will hold an open house where warm beverages and pastries will be served.
“We’re inviting all of the nonprofits,” Polukoff said. “Everybody can come. I would like us to collaborate with all of our nonprofits, walking around this community in Prospector, walking around the blocks, holding signs and cheering for Park City Community Foundation and Live PC Give PC. So we’re kind of doing it a little differently this year.”
Anyone interested in learning more about Bridge21, volunteer opportunities or resources about housing for neurodiverse people can visit bridge21parkcity.com.