For A Good Cause

For A Good Cause Story By Hannah Lester Photos Contributed By EAMC

Grab your tuxedo from the closet and find shoes to match that dress because the fourth annual EAMC Christmas Ball is here. The ball is a black-tie gala with music, dancing, a silent auction, live auction and more.

This year, proceeds from EAMC’s event will benefit the East Alabama Medical Center Foundation, specifically the new level-three Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, said Susan Cowart, director of the foundation. The ball supported the NICU last year and will do so again this year, Cowart said. “This year, the funds will help prepare the NICU for Lee County’s projected population growth of 24% in the next ten years,” she said. The NICU is already often at capacity, Cowart said. There is a “12 Days of Christmas” virtual auction, room-naming sponsorships, table sponsorships and a special donation call at the ball, all of which will benefit this cause. “The aesthetics of the evening will be soft, NICU colors of pink and blue, and the center of the pre-function area will be ... a flocked gratitude tree, that will have the number of ornaments of all of the babies that have been admitted to the NICU since it was opened,” Cowart said. The event will take place Dec. 1, reception at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. There were still limited tickets available over a month ago, but even if all tickets are sold out, there are still ways to donate and be involved, Cowart said. The silent auction will be held virtually so that anyone can participate. The auction will take place through Nov. 29 with over 70 items to bid on, including nice dinners, trips, adventures and more. The live auction items include things like a dinner with Auburn Men’s Basketball coach Bruce Pearl, vintage diamond jewelry, a quail hunt and more.

You can also bid on items in the live auction, even if you won’t be attending, by contacting Susan Cowart at 334-5285923 or susan.cowart@eamc.org.

“The tradition of the Christmas Ball, the hospital gala, kicks off the holiday season, or the Christmas season, with this wonderful [event],” Cowart said. “It’s an investment.

You will have a wonderful time, but it’s also an investment in our community.

“6.6 people move to Auburn every single day, and I hear that one to three of those people are children entering the Auburn school system. So, we’ve got families with small children that will need this. But, it’s just a reinvestment back in East Alabama Health that is growing to meet the community’s needs.

“Whether you are a family with young children or a retired family ... we’re just striving to take care of this community.”

More information available here: www. eastalabamahealth.org/ ways-to-give/eamcfoundation/events/ the-christmas-ball.