Dressed in their best and with checkbooks ready, local community members donated to the U’s Huntsman Center cancer research at an Evening of Elegance.

On June 6 over 260 people attended the event and flooded the Facebook page with stories of affiliations with cancer. The initiative raised over $6,000 through a $25 entry fee, a cash bar and a silent auction.

Andrew Barnett, the event planner and coordinator for An Evening of Elegance, said he felt it was important to give back.

“Everyone, whether directly or indirectly is affected by cancer. The more money we can raise to … research, the closer we are to finding a cure,” Barnett said.

Barnett said that ultimately the purpose of the evening was to give those in attendance a chance to dress up and raise money for the foundation, but that the party didn’t start out as a charitable event.

“The initial idea was to charge a small cover fee to help with the cost of food and a DJ, but as I continued with the planning, I thought to myself ‘If I’m going to charge people, I might as well do it for a good cause,’ and that’s when I decided to choose The Huntsman Cancer Foundation as the benefactor,” he said.

Railee Whitaker attended the event and said she donated for her little sister, who passed away at age 18.

“Without a knowledge of where cancer originates, it is impossible to treat and so there was nothing that the doctors could do,” Whitaker said. “She fought a brave and inspiring fight … and I am donating for her.”

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@JulianneSkrivan