By Rick Morwick
When Mike Hoy won a courageous battle against leukemia a decade ago, his grateful brother and sister-in-law — Brett and Hollie Hoy– wanted to do something to give back to the fight against blood cancers.
So in 2014, the Carmel residents created the Bootleggers’ Bash, an annual benefit for The Light the Night Walk, the chief fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The LLS’s mission is to find cures for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma and improve the quality of life for patients and their families.
“The LSS is near to our hearts for various reasons, one of which is our brother, Mike Hoy,” Hollie said. “He has been cancer-free for 10 years now, which is incredible. Without the determination of LLS and the caring individuals that supported us along our journey, we would not have had the research, patient education, financial and emotional support necessary to give him and others a second chance.”
Featuring live music, food, dancing, gaming tables, silent auction, raffles and a costume contest, the fifth annual Bootleggers’ Bash will be from 7 to 11 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Columbia Club, 121 Monument Circle in Indianapolis.
Tickets are $125 apiece or $1,500 for 10 tickets. Sponsorships are available at levels of $500, $1,000, $2,500 and $5,000. Oh, and there’s a dress code.
“‘Roaring 20s’ attire is required,” said Lauren Schregardus, a member of the “Gatsby Girls,” the committee that organizes the fundraiser.
Schregardus has attended every Bootlegger’s Bash from the beginning, which originated as a euchre tournament at the Hoys’ home before expanding into a themed event at the Columbia Club.
“We have grown quite a bit since those days,” Schregardus said. “Every year we have a keynote speaker, and every year we are blown away by the stories from local families fighting and conquering leukemia. It’s truly remarkable and just goes to show what money and research can do. There is usually not a dry eye in the house at our event.”
Last year’s Bootlegger’s Bash raised nearly $30,000 for the LLS. Organizers are confident of exceeding that total this year.
“We are on board to raise more than $50,000 and we are well on our way,” Hollie said. “People love the bash because the music is on point, the food is incredible and the people, they make it great.”
More than 1 million Americans have leukemia, Hodgkin’s or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma or myeloma, according to the LLS. New patients are diagnosed with blood cancer every three minutes, and someone dies from the disease every 10 minutes.
For more on the Bootlegger’s Bash, visit bootleggersbash.com.
