There is more than meets the eye at the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB’s annual ArtBlink gala.
Taking place Feb. 1 at the Kirklin Clinic, ArtBlink is the main fundraiser for the cancer center’s advisory board. Seventeen local artists will create original works of art in 90-minutes, and guests will bid on them in a silent auction.
Money raised from the evening benefits the center’s Fund for Excellence, which supports high-priority research efforts at the center, including recruiting faculty and supporting young investigators in their cancer research.
Each year the board selects an ArtBlink Director’s Circle honoree – someone who has contributed to the center’s success greatly over the years.
This year, the board honors Leon Edwards and the Edwards Family, who have helped further cutting-edge research at the center for many years. Edwards’ son, Lee, is president-elect II for the advisory board.
Edwards and his family have owned and operated Edwards Chevrolet, a Birmingham-based dealership that has been in business for more than 100 years.
“Community support is more vital than ever for the growth of the Cancer Center and its mission to reduce the burden of cancer in the state of Alabama,” Dr. Barry Sleckman, director of the center, said in a release. “We live in an era when new targeted therapies are coming online rapidly, and it is critical to educate our entire community about the importance of being treated at a place where patients have access to the very latest therapies and clinical trials that can lead to durable cures of what were recently incurable diseases.”
In addition to live artwork, the gala will include a cocktail dinner by IZ Catering and dancing to music by The Schmohawks.
Tickets are $150 per person and can be purchased online, at artblink.org, or by calling 205-934-1603.
– Emily Williams
