Eyes & Ears: 'Cattle barons' take aim at cancer

Don’t take that last phrase as skepticism. Rather it’s an honest reaction to any first-time community event, especially one in Springfield, where nonprofits fiercely bid for time and money.

Organizers are bringing American Cancer Society’s largest single-event fundraiser – and one with a 34-year track record – to Springfield on Aug. 22, 2009. Mark your calendar for the Southwest Missouri Cattle Baron’s Ball.

What started as a Texas barbecue that raised $56,000 for ACS in 1974 in Dallas blossomed into a $4 million fundraiser there last year. While Big D is the gala’s crème de la crème, cities across the country have embraced the fundraiser, which usually features country music, healthy portions of barbecue, and silent and live auctions.

Here are a few success stories:

• Lubbock, Texas, earlier this month hoped to collect $400,000 – more than a third of which to fund breast cancer research at Kansas City’s Stowers Institute;

• an upcoming Colorado ball attracted such underwriters as USB Financial, Colorado Rockies and Phillips 66;

• Houston, Texas, has raised $20 million in 20 years;

• Lake City, Fla., aimed to raise $65,000 – $40,000 via sponsorships – in its seventh ball; and

• Katie Couric was headliner of Chicago’s first event, a black tie affair last year that raised $1.5 million.

Now, it’s time to see what the Springfield community can accomplish with the Southwest Missouri Cattle Baron’s Ball.

The top markets corral as much as $125,000 for a single sponsorship. Opportunities in Springfield top out at $50,000 for a naming rights sponsor and start at $1,000 for a silent auction table sponsor.

Tickets are $300 per couple and cover transportation and a gift bag. Ticket and table opportunities range up to $10,000 for the 10-seat oil baron table and $2,000 for two oil baron tickets.

Expected attendees are corporate sponsors, business and philanthropic leaders, underwriters and guests.

A common thread to the galas’ successes appears to be the people behind the event, and not just ACS staff.

Each Cattle Baron’s Ball takes about 125 volunteers to put on the show. The southwest Missouri group is well equipped for the challenge with Kim Inman of Cutting Edge Solutions as chairperson and about 75 planning committee members on board. Mary Valloni, the lead organizer on staff at ACS, said planners are actively recruiting more members in order to reach at least 100 volunteers; a major need is silent and live auction volunteers and chairperson, Valloni said.

Missouri State University President Michael Nietzel is honorary chairman, and he’s joined on the Executive Barons group with Sen. Norma Champion and Parkview High School assistant football coach and retired St. Louis Ram Grant Wistrom and his wife, Melissa. The Executive Barons are an invitation-only advisory board.

ACS plans to hold a reception for 10 to 15 business leaders on Sept. 3 at The Tower Club to pitch the Executive Barons concept and Cattle Baron’s Ball opportunities.

I’ve agreed to serve on the publicity committee, and since making that commitment in May, my extended family has lost a member to cancer. Even more interesting, he lived in suburban Dallas, the heartbeat of this event.

The reality is that my relative was just one of the 550,000 Americans who are expected to lose the cancer battle in 2008, according to ACS.

And since giving my own focus to the disease, seemingly everyone I talk to about it has their own cancer story.

It’s like we’re running as fast as we can to chase down the deadly disease – but we can’t catch it yet. With the summer Olympics on the mind, we can’t give up the race. In our pursuit, we can cling to the fact that there are 10.8 million cancer survivors living in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Stay tuned to my Eyes & Ears column for updates on these gala efforts and some local cancer stories. To jump in the race, contact ACS at mary.valloni@cancer.org.

Springfield Business Journal Editor Eric Olson can be reached at eolson@sbj.net.