March 29, 2024

Deming highlights this year’s YMCA fundraiser dinner

He’s a household name in the state of Iowa.

Dr. Richard Deming, medical director at Mercy Cancer Center in Des Moines, will be the featured speaker at this year’s Southern Prairie YMCA annual campaign kickoff dinner and auction slated Nov. 3 at the Supertel Inn and Conference Center in Creston.

Deming is probably best known for his non-profit organization, Above + Beyond Cancer, which engages cancer survivors in the transformative experience of mountain climbing. Deming led teams of survivors up Mount Everest and Mount Kilimanjaro in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

“This is a presentation you won’t want to miss,” said Skip Kenyon, vice president of the YMCA board. “He’s a great inspirational speaker. He will talk about some of the survivors that went on these trips, not only their struggle with cancer but their ability to move forward and do great things. His presentation really fits with our campaign for this year, as we hope to inspire everyone in our community to move forward and achieve great things. We know there are people, in and around Creston, who haven’t yet heard him speak or want to hear him again. This is a great opportunity.”

Tickets to this annual kickoff event are $40 each or $70 for a couple. A reserved table for the evening that includes eight tickets is available for $280. The evening will include a social hour with cash bar at 5 p.m., dinner catered by Windrow at 6 p.m., presentation by Deming at 7 p.m. and live auction at 8 p.m.

A few of the top auction items include:

• Two-night stay in a three-bedroom cabin at YMCA of the Rockies Estes Park or Snow Mountain

• Family four pack of tickets to Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines

• Four water park passes to King’s Point Water Park in Storm Lake

This dinner and auction will serve as a catalyst for the YMCA’s annual campaign. The staff and the board of the YMCA have set a goal of raising $80,000 in 2018 with their “Invest, Inspire, Achieve” campaign. All proceeds from this campaign will benefit the Southern Prairie need-based membership and program assistance fund so anyone can improve their health and well-being.

“This dinner is our biggest fundraiser of the year,” said Dana Dodge, executive director at the YMCA. “The reality is our county is one of the most obese in the state and also one of the economically depressed, which means we have a huge population of people that need access to a facility where they can become physically fit, socialize and where kids can engage their mind and body. That’s what this campaign is all about, investing in our community for those who need us most, in order to achieve the goal of improving life in Union County.”

All donations made to the campaign are tax-deductible. This event is open to the public and tickets can be purchased at the Southern Prairie YMCA. You can also purchase tickets from board members or staff including Chris Eaton, Gabe Carroll, Martha Musmaker, Sandy Harris, Joyce Baker, Dodge or Kenyon.