St. Mary’s School and Sacred Heart of Jesus High School held a joint fundraiser on Saturday night, February 5. Guests dressed up and came out to the Carl Perkins Civic Center to enjoy an evening of dining, dancing, bidding and betting at the Mardi Gras Auction and Casino Night Gala. The evening began with a cocktail hour and silent auction followed by a meal with Vegas-style entertainment. After dinner, there was an exciting live auction. Then the casino and disco opened for the rest of the night.

Black Tie & Boxing benefitting JDRF has become a premier event in Jackson. The event was founded in part by Ronnie and Susan Morris, JDRF President Hayden Simons and his wife who have dealt with her Type 1 diabetes for 23 years. The unusual thing is Addison Coleman, the emcee, was diagnosed at age 10 years. Emcee Abby Moffett was diagnosed at age five, and announcer Richard Mullikin has several family members with Type 1 diabetes!

The 4th Annual Law Enforcement Ball hosted by 731 Crime Stoppers was held on Saturday, January 8. Members and supporters of local law enforcement enjoyed an evening of food and entertainment, and had the opportunity to applaud some outstanding members of law enforcement and the community who received special awards for their hard work.

The Ned honored its season ticket holders and sponsors at a reception on December 9. These special supporters of The Ned enjoyed festive hors d’oeuvres and drinks before the Irish Christmas in America show later that evening.

Brew-Wing, sponsored by Hub City Brewing and Tyson Chicken, was held on Saturday, November 6. The event benefited the Scarlet Rope Project and featured a wing competition, cornhole and bowling tournaments, and live music by TN Jet. Wing teams brought their favorite spices, sauces and wing-firing grills to face off in the wing competition. This year the title of SRP Wing King went to the Top Gun Grill Team.

The 38th Annual Carl Perkins Circle of Hope Telethon exists to raise funds for the Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse. The telethon takes on a special life as music groups descend upon the stage to motivate donors. There are 20 sites in West Tennessee that will benefit from this telethon achievement!

The Dream Center Annual fundraising dinner was held at the First Methodist Church in downtown Jackson. The vision for The Dream Center’s new building has begun with the procurement of land on Oil Well Road adjacent to the Assembly of God Church.

The Jackson-Madison County Library Foundation hosted its tenth annual Books of Madison County fundraiser at the Jackson Fairgrounds on Tuesday evening, August 3. The event always features an author, and this year’s event featured three authors: Roger Stolle, Shawn Pitts, and Robert Gordon. The theme for the evening was “Sounds on the Music Highway,” and each speaker discussed a different genre of music that has had an impact on the Jackson-Madison County community. Guests enjoyed a gourmet dinner and wine pairing, live music and a silent auction.

Community members and sponsors gathered on May 6th at the Jackson Fairgrounds for a record-breaking night of Dancing with the STARS. The event was presented by Leaders Credit Union, benefitting the STAR Center and featured 7 couples that ranged from nurses to business owners, surgeons, school principals, and realtors. Viewers from EPlusTV 6’s broadcast and Flatiron Grille watched online and TV as The STAR Center’s largest fundraiser came to fruition. This event, which has sold out every year, provides the needed resources for the Star Center to continue to live out their mission to help a person with any disability realize their potential.

My Best Friend Jenna presented Lights, Camera, Fashion, the Mid-South’s largest Prom Runway Fashion Show, on April 29 at the Carl Perkins Civic Center. The models are all High School students from West Tennessee. The foundation of this event is to inspire young ladies to create a strategy to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. There are hundreds of girls who apply, but a limited number is selected. Those chosen build new relationships, learn modeling techniques, and develop a fundraising strategy.