Olympic cyclist and seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong will be the featured speaker for the 15th Annual Steak & Steak Dinner and Charity Auction, a Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield event set for April 12.
Support for Armstrong was provided by Larry O'Reilly and O'Reilly Auto Parts. Armstrong signed on for the event as a favor for O'Reilly, who is vice chairman of the
Lance Armstrong Foundation Endowment Board of Trustees, said Chris Whitehead, Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield director of resource development. The LAFE is the long-term financial security arm of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which runs the
Livestrong cancer campaign.
Whitehead said Boys & Girls Clubs won't incur any costs to bring Armstrong to the event.
This isn't the first time Boys & Girls Clubs has brought a big name to the Steak & Steak Dinner event.
Past speakers include Roy Williams, Bob Gibson, Bob Knight, Tony Gonzales, Dick Vitale, Bill Russell, Mike Ditka, Dick Vermeil, Johnny Bench, Archie Manning, Peyton Manning and Jackie Joyner Kersee.
Last year's Steak & Burger Dinner, with guest speaker Drew Brees, raised more than $100,000 for the nonprofit organization, which aids area at-risk youth.
Whitehead said with the addition of Armstrong, Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield is predicting one of the largest events yet.
"With his notoriety, he's not just local or national. He's international," Whitehead said. "There's so many cyclists here in the area that live and breath Livestrong."
He said Armstrong also is a good fit for title sponsor St. John's, which has a
semi-pro cycling team and the
C.H. "Chub" O'Reilly Cancer Center.
This year's silent and live auctions will feature trips, packages and Armstrong memorabilia, with the possibility of items signed by Armstrong, Whitehead said.
Tickets for the event, to be held at the University Plaza Convention Center, are $150 apiece.[[In-content Ad]]
