The Night of Stars committee is excited to present its 29th annual benefit gala after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19. The fundraising event at the Elmwood Country Club, which was organized by committee co-chairs Bryan Leger, Kyley Leger and Jonell Wittkop, raises money for the American Cancer Society and Iowa River Hospice.

Fellow committee member Amanda Roos said they can’t wait to host a live event for the cause after such a long break.

“We are just so excited to get everybody back in a room,” Roos said.

Attendees can look forward to a cocktail hour, a buffet dinner and both silent and live auctions at the April 23 event. Their donations will be divided between the American Cancer Society — an organization dedicated to cancer research — and the Iowa River Hospice, an organization that provides end of life care to patients.

The gala will look very similar to past Night of Stars events, with the only notable difference being the buffet dinner instead of a served dinner. In Roos’ words, “Why change something that works?”

The silent auction will begin during the cocktail hour, and it will go through dinner, wrapping up around 7:30 when the live auction starts with available items donated by local businesses.

Some of the most notable items up for grabs in the two auctions include murder mystery dinner tickets, Iowa-Iowa State football game tickets, and a children’s birthday party at the Marshalltown Fire Station.

“I will say that there’s some great auction items that have come back that have been really successful in the past that I think will pull people in, and we’re really excited about that,” Roos said.

But people don’t have to wait until the auction to donate as Legacy Stars, which can be purchased in remembrances of someone who was lost to cancer, are available for purchase online prior to the event. The person’s name will be printed on the star and then they will be used for decoration at the Night of Stars event.

Roos said they do ask for a minimum donation of $25 for a Legacy Star. Donations for a Day of Care at Iowa River Hospice or at the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge are also being accepted on the event website for $250 as well as general donations of any value.

Their last gala in 2019 was the most successful to date, according to Roos, raising $80,000. While the committee usually sets a fundraising goal based on past events, they chose not to this year.

“We actually do not have a specific goal this year because it was tough to put an amount around something when we didn’t really have anything to go off of in the past couple of years,” Roos said. “It would be wonderful if we got to that 2019 goal, but we also know it’s a little bit different. The world is still a little bit different. People are struggling all around, so anything that we make, we’re just excited about.”

Aside from raising money, the Night of Stars event also raises hope for those who have cancer and for people who have loved ones fighting cancer.

“Our overall theme for many years now is hope, and I love that. I love that we’ve stuck with that theme because I think as a whole, in the world, that’s a decision. It’s not something you just have. It’s a full decision to choose hope and for those that are battling cancer, they have to make that decision every day to be hopeful,” Roos said.

The event will start at 5:30 p.m. on April 23 at the Elmwood Country Club, located at 1734 Country Club Lane. Tickets are $75 each and must be purchased prior to the event. The deadline to do so is April 15.

To purchase tickets or make other donations, visit the event website at https://givebutter.com/NightOfStars2022?fbclid=IwAR0SbqEvLFyuZktfoZEiz6e9m_d1yYtFjVNi3PrLJQtWhXIZRVI2yql6-Ik.

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Contact Susanna Meyer at 641-753-6611 or

smeyer@timesrepublican.com.