A-listers to attend Shadow Buddies dinner

The Shadow Buddies Foundation will hold its 14th annual Scoring a Victory for Children benefit dinner from 6 to 10 p.m. Monday, Sept. 21, at the Hyatt Regency at Crown Center, 2345 McGee St.

The event, which includes cocktails, dinner and a silent auction, will help raise funds to strengthen the Lenexa-based foundation’s existing programs and develop new programs focused upon enhancing children’s lives.

By the end of 2009, the foundation will have distributed more than 800,000 buddies since its start 14 years ago. There currently are 25 condition-specific Buddies available.

The theme for this year’s dinner is “You Ought to Be in Pictures.” Guests will arrive on the red carpet and are encouraged to dress as their movie star or in Oscar attire.

Celebrity guests include America Idol winner David Cook, who joined forces with the Shadow Buddies Foundation in 2008. Cook launched his own buddy during the holidays supporting children diagnosed with cancer. Cook’s brother Andrew will host the red carpet interviews for the event.

Tony Gonzalez, long-time foundation spokesman and former Kansas City Chiefs tight end, will announce the new Shadow Buddies spokesman, Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel, who distributed 100 buddies to young patients at Children’s Mercy Hospital, including patients in the Kidney Dialysis Unit, this spring.

Gonzales started his own foundation and adopted Shadow Buddies as his charity of choice. Since 1998, the Tony Gonzalez Foundation has focused on assisting children with emotional and educational support by helping medically challenged children. To date, more than 47,500 Tony Gonzalez Buddies have been delivered to children throughout the United States.

As mother of a special needs child, season three champion of HGTV Design Star, Jennifer Bertrand of Olathe, will attend to lend her support to the foundation.

A volunteer, staff, board member or community leader will receive the Miles Award, which stands for Magnificent Individual Lending Extra Smiles and is given to an individual who has gone above and beyond to help the foundation. For more information, call (913) 642-4646 or visit www.shadowbuddies.org.

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