More than $14,500 was raised at the UNMC-sponsored event during the annual “Night of a Thousand Stars” celebration, which took place Dec. 6 in Omaha.
The $14,582 raised at UNMC went to the Nebraska AIDS Project (NAP). In all, NAP received more than $430,000 from the night’s festivities. The 11th annual event included several “pre-parties” around the Omaha area, much like the one at the Omaha Woman’s Club, and a main event at Qwest Center Omaha. Pop singer Lionel Richie performed at the Qwest Center.
“The support of this year’s event was tremendous,” said Dr. Susan Swindells, medical director of the UNMC HIV Clinic and the Terry K. Watanabe Chair of HIV Research at UNMC. “The turnout at our event is a testament to the fact that people have not forgotten about people with HIV and AIDS, as well as the organization and the promotion that went into this year’s event.”
More than 300 people attended the UNMC-sponsored pre-party.
Dr. Swindells noted the work of the HIV Team at UNMC, as well as the Stars Committee. That committee, which organized the UNMC pre-party celebration, was led this year by Dr. Swindells, Mike and Carol McGlade, Keith Swarts and Jayme Nekuda.
Swarts, the director of Business Services at UNMC, said that numerous volunteer hours and the generosity of corporate sponsors made the celebration a success. Those sponsors included Paul Griego, owner of Pauli’s; Dennis Lewis, owner of Spirit World; Karen Simon, district manager for Sodexho USA, which manages the food service at The Nebraska Medical Center; and other donors.
“It was a wonderful evening, one that everyone at UNMC can be proud of,” Swarts said. “Certainly, everyone that I talked to had a great time.
“In the end, though, the patients with HIV and AIDS will benefit most from everyone’s generosity. That’s the most important thing.”