Effingham, Illinois – United Way of Effingham County held their annual fundraising gala on October 11th at the Thelma Keller Convention Center. This year’s gala was named the Monster Mash Bash that included a silent and live auction, dinner and drinks, costume contest, a hypnotist program, golf cart giveaway and more.
The event raised $38,370 for the United Way’s 2024 Partner Agencies. Funds that are raised during 2024 will be paid out to these agencies during 2025. For a list of current agencies, visit the United Way Website.
While the 19 local partner agencies were definitely the night’s biggest winners, they certainly were not the only winners. Congratulations to Gary Duncan who was the winner of the golf cart raffle.
The costume contest brought in many creative looks for the night. The individual costume contest winner was Chandra Niemerg dressed as Prince and the group contest winners were from Full Circle Realty dressed as The Addams Family.
The Celebrity Hypnosis contest was also a huge hit. The celebrity who raised the most funds was Sara Ruholl, owner of The Beanstalk Boutique with $643 raised! She joined hypnotist William Mitchell on stage who put on a great program.
“Events like the Monster Mash Bash would not be a success without the support of our wonderful community, businesses in the area and our United Way Board of Directors. It was truly a pleasure to put on such a fun event with the support of this community,” said Emily Hille, Chief Professional Officer of United Way.
For more information about United Way of Effingham County and their upcoming events, visit www.effinghamunitedway.org or visit their Facebook Page, United Way of Effingham County.