“Come Together,” the 21st annual Reverse Raffle, aims to raise $150,000 for the local VIMCare Clinic, which treats residents who are uninsured and others enrolled in Indiana’s Medicaid coverage plan.
Yacht Rock Revue, the classic pop musical entertainment that organizers said helped boost ticket sales among a younger audience in 2015, returns Friday for this year’s event at The Clarion Hotel and Conference Center. The band, which has Columbus connections, will close the night with Seventies light rock tunes.
Only a few seats among the 500 maximum remain, organizers said. There are also 500 chances to win $10,000.
“We normally like to keep the event very fresh from year to year,” said Lesli Gordon, senior development officer for the Columbus Regional Health Foundation that now supports about 30 percent of the clinic’s budget. “But we had so many people call to ask us to have them back.”
The nationally touring band includes Columbus natives and singers Nick Niespodziani and Peter Olson.
Last year’s fundraiser netted a record $195,000. But that was when the clinic was supported solely by donations through the Columbus Regional Health Foundation.
Instead of relying on donations and charitable fundraising, about 70 percent of VIMCare’s funding will now come from state and federal health care reimbursement programs, county officials said. Plus, the clinic now operates with a paid staff instead of local medical personnel volunteering in their off-duty hours.
But foundation officials have carefully stated that community support is very much still needed.
The night’s $150,000 goal is part of an overall figure of $360,000 that the foundation will need to raise annually for VIMCare’s yearly $1.4 million budget, said Julie Abedian, vice president of community partnerships and corporate responsibility.
“We’re trying to be realistic,” Abedian said. “We don’t yet fully know how much the community support will be changing.”
Abedian has said that the new service model allows VIMCare to treat a larger number of patients, up to 4,000 to 5,000 a year, compared to the estimated 1,400 a year previously served under Volunteers in Medicine.
The new clinic operates in about 6,000 square feet of refurbished space that was once the Columbus Regional Hospital emergency department in the center of the hospital campus at 2400 E. 17th St. In May, the hospital moved its emergency facilities to a new, 16,350-square-foot emergency department on the hospital campus’ southeast side, a $16 million investment.
The night’s “Come Together” theme will be carried through to the meal, Gordon said. A mix of five chefs or eateries are working together on a menu that includes salad, a smoked meat or a plant-based entree, wine and dessert.
“I was originally a little nervous about working with multiple chefs,” Gordon said. “But we think it’s really neat that we’ll be able to get one more than one of them into the spotlight.”
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What: Columbus Regional Health Foundation’s 21st annual Reverse Raffle fundraiser for the VIMCare Clinic at Columbus Regional Hospital.
When: Friday with a 6:30 p.m. reception; 7:30 p.m. dinner; 8:30 p.m. reverse raffle as random numbers are called to eliminate people until one winning $10,000 ticket remains; 9:30 p.m. music and dancing with Yacht Rock Revue.
Where: Crystal Ballroom of the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center, 2480 W. Jonathan Moore Pike in Columbus.
Tickets: Ballroom capacity is 500; only a few seats remain. $170 per person includes one dinner seat and one ticket to the reverse raffle for a $10,000 prize. Available at http://support.foundation.crh.org or 812-376-5100.
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