2016 ‘Carnival of Love’ Gala Raises Record $264K for Local Families

About 540 guests took a stroll down the boardwalk for the Heartland Family Service (heartlandfamilyservice.org) “Carnival of Love” Gala at the Embassy Suites on February 13, helping to raise a record $264,000 to serve the most vulnerable children and families in our community.

Local indie R&B band Clark & Company provided entertainment during the silent auction, in which guests bid on over 200 items through an electronic service by Qtego Auction Technology.

Following dinner, Master of Ceremonies and Q98.5 DJ Jenny Olive kicked off the evening’s program with the raffle drawing for three prizes. Stephanie Jeanette won a diamond three-heart pendant with chain from Borsheims Fine Jewelry & Gifts, Allen Furby took home four club-level tickets to the Husker-Wyoming football game and Nancy Hanson claimed a $500 gift card to Nebraska Furniture Mart.

Two original art pieces from Derek, a 16-year-old from the HFS Youth Links program for teens in the juvenile justice system, kicked off the live auction. The top-selling package was a paradise trip to Costa Rica that sold for $7,000. The evening ended with “Hope for Families,” in which guests raised their bid cards or pressed a button on their phones to donate.

As Heartland Family Service’s largest fundraiser of the year, the “Carnival of Love” Gala helps create the path to a better tomorrow for the over 40,000 individuals the agency serves each year from more than 15 locations in east central Nebraska and southwest Iowa.

For more information visit Heartland Family Service (heartlandfamilyservice.org).