The 20th annual fundraiser for Gift of Hope support to cancer patients will be held Tuesday, Sept. 19 at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds.

The Gift of Hope foundation donates as much as $3,000 to individuals who are struggling with cancer. The money goes to pay such expenses as gas, meals, rent, utilities, lodging and car expenses. It is not for medical expenses.

Recipients only have a few requirements to meet. They must begin their treatment at the Callahan Cancer Center in North Platte and live somewhere in western Nebraska, in a wide area from Lexington to the western state line, from the South Dakota border to Kansas. The majority of applicants are accepted, organizers say.

The Gift of Hope foundation donates as much as $40,000 per year to the overall recipients, awarding a maximum of $3,000 per patient.

This annual fundraiser is their biggest fundraiser. It will feature a prime rib dinner, live music by Kim Baxter, two glasses of wine or beer, and silent and live auctions.

Items to be auctioned include game tickets to Husker football and volleyball, golf outings, a day-long guided fishing trip to Lake McConaughy, gift cards to the North 40, a large family photo at Photographic Images, a new grill, a homemade pie every month for a year, handmade woodworking, original paintings and much more. A total of 89 items will be sold. The prime rib dinner is sponsored by Nebraskaland Bank.

The festivities will be held in the Equitable Building on the fairgrounds, the first building when driving into the grounds. Admission is $30 at the door, or $25 in advance from Jan Cox at 539-4040 or Sue Brott at 530-7078.

(This report was first published in the Bulletin’s Sept. 13 print edition.)

© 2023 The North Platte Bulletin. All rights reserved.