
By Greg Halbleib
The American Red Cross reports its largest annual Central Illinois fundraiser took in a record amount.
This year’s Evening of Stars raised more than $225,000, the most in the event’s 23 years. This year’s celebrity speaker was Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the pilot who landed an airline safely in the Hudson River in New York.
The Evening of Stars has raised $2.2 million since it began in 1994. Money raised goes to Red Cross efforts including disaster relief, community preparedness initiatives, services to military familes and safety classes including CPR and first aid.
Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].