Hospice’s 20th gala has new features

The 20th Our Hospice of Jennings County Gala will have a few new additions for the milestone event. One is a more casual theme, “Denim and Diamonds.”

So many attendees at last year’s gala enjoyed the western theme that a casual theme was chosen again this year, said Julie Davis, one of the organizers.

“Just sew a few sparkles on your jeans and come for some fun,” said Davis, who added that any attire would be acceptable from jeans to tuxedos.

The Feb. 10 event starts at 6 p.m. at Klingner Hall in St. Mary’s Church in North Vernon. It is a fundraiser for the nonprofit Our Hospice of Jennings County, which is a part of Our Hospice of South Central Indiana, which administers care to terminally ill patients in Jennings and 14 other Indiana counties.

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“The gala is an important fundraiser because the funds raised allow Our Hospice to provide additional services to patients and families not covered by Medicare, Medicaid or insurance,” said Laura Hurt, president of Our Hospice of South Central Indiana.

The gala will once again crown a queen but will feature a new wrinkle

“In honor of our 20th anniversary, we would like to recognize all of the queens from the previous years and hope they will attend this year’s gala,” Davis said.

A long-time tradition of the gala is the crowning of the Gala Queen. The queen is determined by the amount of donations raised by the queen candidates prior to the gala.

“Raising money for any cause is not easy, and this is often the first time these girls have tried to do something like this,” Davis said.

Seven Jennings County High School students are candidates for the queen honor. They are, including their grades and parents:

McKensie Blackburn, junior, Amanda and Shane Blackburn

Allie Clark, senior, Phillip and Elaine Clark

Mariah Grider, senior, Chris and Gennie Grider

Ashleigh Lucas, junior, Stephanie and Warren Lucas

Emma McPeek, senior, Charles and Katherine McPeek

Sara Morgan, junior, Scot and Rhonda Morgan

Reina Puckett, senior, Ryan and Becky Puckett

A catered dinner, auctions and dancing will take place before the queen crowning.

“The community has really been amazing in their support for this event in the past,” said Suzie Singer, manager of marketing and planning for Hospice of South Central Indiana.

Only 425 tickets for the gala are available, so organizers said people should purchase tickets soon. The deadline to buy tickets is Feb. 8.

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WHAT: 20th Annual Our Hospice Jennings County Gala

WHEN: 6 p.m. Feb. 10

WHERE: Klingner Hall, St. Mary’s Church, 212 Washington St, North Vernon

TICKETS: $45 each or $320 for a table of eight. Deadline to buy tickets is Feb. 8. Call Julie Davis at 812-314-8085 or 800-841-4938, extension 8085

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