The Wayward Social was crowded with people on Wednesday night. They were talking and laughing animatedly, all eager to start bowling.

This was no coincidence, as all in attendance were not there just for fun, but for an important cause. Marshalltown local Kip Hilderbrand is a friend to many, and so when he found out he had a heart condition that would require many expensive doctor visits, his friends and acquaintances flocked to the fundraiser to lend him a helping hand.

In just a month, Hilderbrand’s life was rocked by a startling discovery. He went to the doctor about a tightness in his chest and found out there was a growing mass inside his heart. He was sent to the emergency room and then to an Iowa City hospital to find out more about his condition.

Hilderbrand said this news caught him off guard, and since the mass is located in his heart, doctors can’t perform a biopsy to figure out exactly what’s wrong. As a result, Hilderbrand will have to undergo open heart surgery next Friday just to get answers.

“They’ll get it out and hopefully get all of it, and then we’ll find out what’s going on from there,” Hilderbrand said.

The costs of the surgery and the various doctors’ appointments spurred Shelby Breault, Hilderbrand’s girlfriend, Linda Propp, the hospitality director at the bowling alley, and Wayward Social owners Aaron and Michele Buzbee to organize the fundraiser asking the community and Hilderbrand’s friends for their help and support.

“It’s emotional, just because of all the support that people want to give us,” Breault said. “It’s good to know that there’s so many people who want to help.”

Propp said even though she didn’t know Hilderbrand well, she still thought it was important to make the fundraiser happen.

“I don’t think I really needed to know Kip personally to do a fundraiser. I just felt really bad for his situation, and we just wanted to do something to help him,” Propp said.

Propp worked it out with owners of the Wayward Social, who were happy to help since Hildebrand is a close family friend of theirs. All of the proceeds from Wednesday night’s sessions will go to Hildebrand. Several local businesses also showed their support by donating items for the silent auction, which was held for those individuals who didn’t want to bowl but still wanted to help Hildebrand.

The Wayward Social was a full house as the community rallied to support Hildebrand, and many of his friends were there. Tina Dutton, decked out in a “Team Kip” t-shirt, said hearing about what was happening with Hildebrand was like hearing bad news about a family member.

“We love Kip and want to do anything we can to help him. We’d never heard of this kind of (health problem) going on with anybody, so when we got the news, we were pretty devastated,” Dutton said. “We think of Kip as a brother.”

Dutton hadn’t bowled much since she had shoulder surgery a while ago but was happy to bowl for the cause. She wanted to do everything she could for Hilderbrand.

Tony Fann, a friend of Hilderbrand’s for over 20 years, was also in attendance, and he recalled playing softball with Hilderbrand as well as bowling and going to Iowa games with him. Fann contributed not only by attending and supporting the fundraiser, but also by volunteering to run the bowling tournament for the evening. Friends from all facets of Hilderbrand’s life were in attendance, and Fann was pleased with a turnout he called “overwhelming.”

Hilderbrand and Breault expressed their gratitude for all the support they received and are hoping for the best outcome after next Friday’s surgery.

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Contact Susanna Meyer at 641-753-6611 or

smeyer@timesrepublican.com.